Look (surprises)

I'm blogging for Advent, following along with the themes that we're focusing on at Crossroads. I talk more about why I'm doing this in an earlier post. This past week's theme was "look." This coming week I'll be writing about "prepare."

So here's how I thought my night last night was going to go:

1) Work on a paper
2) Slip down to a church in Dupont Circle to make a few extra bucks playing Christmas songs with a few emergent-y type folks (Yes. Christmas songs in Advent. I'm a sellout. But they only meet once a month so I grant them absolution.)
3) Return to school to work on a paper

Here's how my night actually went:

1) Work on a paper
2) Slip down to Dupont Circle
3) Meet Enuma Okoro
4) Crack bad joke to her about Methodists not knowing we could drink mulled wine in church
5) Listen to her read from her book of Advent reflections
6) Play a few Christmas songs
7) Return to school and spend quality time sitting with Leigh and Rachel

So...that was cool.

If you don't know Enuma, her writing is beautiful and truthful and certainly worth your time. In person she is, unsurprisingly, genuine and thoughtful and funny. And it was amazing to listen to her talk about Advent surprises while I experienced my own Advent surprise--meeting a favorite author and singing songs and then going to share time with friends.

Earlier in the day, I'd talked on the phone with Karen, my friend and the wonderful interfaith chaplain at the university where I studied in Morocco. And she talked about how important it is to take time to play and pray in the midst of stressful seasons.

I've been writing this past week about looking for signs of God. But sometimes, God sneaks up on me when I'm not looking, and I find myself playing and praying when I thought I'd be making a couple of dollars and then writing a film analysis.

And for that, I am so very, very grateful.