Filed under: Blog
At work today I was the only person at the site because all the teachers get two weeks off for Christmas. I determined to be conscious of my personal safety by keeping the classroom doors locked while I worked in the office. I was afraid of getting locked out, however, as the door still opens from the inside. So I strategically attached my keys to my waist with a caribeaner. Later I was moving stuff around and the big clump of keys jangling around got a little annoying so I took them off and tossed them on the desk if I should need them later on. However, when the phone rang and the facilities coordinator wanted to know what time the 2 guys working on the gate were going to be done, I ran out with the phone to ask them. Click. And the door shut behind me. I didn’t have my car keys or my cell phone in my pockets, either. And no one else would be coming all day. So I decided to walk to the site supervisor’s house because although she’s off, I thought she’d be home at 11 am and would lend me her key, and she only lives about a mile or 2 away. But after walking for about 5 minutes I remembered that I’d seen a window open in the classroom! So I hurried back, passed the guys at the gate AGAIN, went out to the playground to get a chair and hoist myself up to the window — but I’d forgotten we have bars over them. Shoot. What to do? The only number I knew by heart was the main office’s front desk, so I called and asked to be transferred to the facilities coordinator. How embarrassing. She wanted to come see the gate anyway, so could she bring a key? It was freezing outside and I didn’t want the gate workers to wonder what the heck I was doing so I decided to water the plants. Too bad it’s been raining and they weren’t really thirsty. But then I spotted a plastic glove on the ground, the kind the teachers use to prepare food with — and that was my salvation. I put it on and pulled weeds for 45 minutes until the facilities coordinator arrived at my rescue. And I eventually did tell the gate workers what had happened and we chatted in Spanish for a while… it was a grand old time. I baby-sat this evening for some of my favorite kids. The older two (6 and 4) love to interview me about my life. Our dinner conversation went as follows: Is your dad Japanese? (6 yr old.)No, he’s not Japanese. Well is he Mexican? (6 yr old.) No, he’s not Mexican, either.Does he love God? (4 yr old)Yes, he does love God. And before dinner when I asked who wanted to pray, the 6 yr old volunteered. The two of them were sitting on one side of the table and the 1 1/2 yr old and I were on the other side. While all of our eyes were closed I felt a tiny hand crawl into mine, resting on my lap. Wow — how routine and communal prayer must be in this family for a 1 1/2 year old to habitually grab hands with whoever is next to him during prayer! They are seriously awesome kids. While the kids were going to sleep I got a slough of text messages and phone calls from my housemates saying the power had gone out for several blocks around our house. They were freaking out and bored and didn’t know what to do with themselves so they all left. I was so excited to make my way upstairs in the dark and light some candles and just sit and talk with all of them. But alas by the time I got home our half of the street had been turned back on even though a few houses down was still dark. Oh well. But I thought it was interesting how excited I was for a power outage vs. how everyone else seemed to react!
Filed under: Blog
The homeless shelter charity worker of the day stationed outside the Ocean Beach Safeway tonight was sort of half-heartedly singing Christmas carols while he held his sign and tried to keep warm as people ignored him on their way inside. But when I was in the baking aisle, a woman walked up to put some cash in his box and began singing along with him. She was harmonizing, and with her accompaniment his voice rose and together their song spread throughout the store. ”Let every heart prepare him room” they seemed to echo again and again. And I almost started to cry on the spot. Here I was bustling around getting ingredients for a Christmas dessert, still in a bad mood from all the annoying things that had happened at work earlier, and Christ, ever so gently was whispering, not only to me but to all of the Safeway shoppers and to all of creation, “I’m coming! Make room in your hearts and your lives for me, for my Kingdom!”
