Last week one of my favorite customers stopped by the store. He had been coming there for...well, since the store re-opened. (So, I guess you could say I had known him for almost two years? I feel like I did.) I told him that it was my last week at that job. And I could tell he was kinda' sad about it.
But at the same time, he was so happy for me.
He asked me about what I planned to do in my post-graduate life. And I told him. He decided to counter my statements with a joke, "You wanna know a good way to make God laugh?"
....what's that, Rick?
"Tell him all your plans."
At the time, it didn't mean too much to me. He's a great customer, and I'll miss him. I'd never heard that joke before, though.
That Sunday, I go to Church with my friend Cama Chameleon. It was a Catholic service. I like to call myself a "recovering Catholic" if that indicates how close I feel to the church, but I went anyway. It was pretty normal: a lot of standing and sitting, chanting and singing, the occasional handshake and "Peace be with you.". But, during the service, the Father decided to tell a joke. (Huh, that's weird.) The entire service was about, of all things, following Jesus Christ and God's plan. He said, "You wanna know a good way to make God laugh?"
...wait, this sounds familiar.
"Tell him all your plans."
It felt like a lightning bolt through my mind, my heart, and my body. Lightning through my entire existence. I felt like my entire face was warm, and I started crying. Right there, in the middle of the Newman Center, I started crying. That very minute, I felt a love of life so intense. I felt a love of every blessing that I had and everyone I knew. If I hadn't already been sitting, I'm sure I would have just crumpled to the ground in a big sobbing heap. My mind was racing, and yet I don't recall a single thought. All I know is that very second, I promised Jesus Christ I would always follow him and try to do the right thing. What the right thing is, I'm really not sure. But when I do know, I'm going for it.
I feel like I just got a call from God, and I don't know how to answer it.
The next few days I tried as hard as I could to rationalize my way out of it. No way. Things like that don't happen in real life. (Do they?)
I think...maybe, they do. At least for me. But...what now?
