What Happens When You Take the Road Less Traveled
I am a religious person (I think) but have never taken comfort in actually going to church. I went to church on Christmas and Easter (we are called Chreasters), and sat in the back as to not take someone’s seat who was there every week.
Unbeknownst to me, all that was about to change.
Let’s go back to Christmas of last year. For the first time in decades I had no real plans for Christmas Eve, besides attending Mass.
Longer story short, my youngest son’s girlfriend is half Quaker, and I was invited to join them and her family at a Quaker meeting for Christmas Eve.
A Quaker meeting is sitting in silent reflection, but you talk if you have something to share with the congregation. For Christmas Eve its twenty-five minutes of silence followed by Holiday songs.
Normally, the meeting would be forty-five minutes of silent reflection which is impossible for me. I can’t go two minutes in my house without turning on the TV for company.
But here’s what happened during that silence, I had to think about...everything.
I thanked God for all that was good in my world, said prayers for family and friends, thought about past relationships and why they went wrong, and wondered about new ones hopefully in my future.
Also, periodically, John Lennon’s ‘So This is Christmas’ would pop into my head.
After the holidays, I spoke with my brother. I told him I was looking for a catholic church in my town. He said you don’t have to got to a catholic church, that I could go to a Baptist or a Lutheran church.
Side note, we grew up in the catholic church, but now my brother and sister both go to a Lutheran church where they live.
So that’s why I found a Lutheran church in my town. And by found I mean I have literally driven past it almost every day since I lived here (less than a half mile from my house).
FAITH Lutheran Church, Hillsborough, New Jersey.
On the first Sunday morning, before I even entered the church, a woman called me over in the parking lot.
“You’re tall,” she said and pointed to a Christmas reef on the wall she wanted me to take down.
I did, and the few times I met her afterwards, she would say, “you’re my reef guy.”
Went inside, was greeted by a couple, handed a program and invited to have a seat.
Before the service started, a woman (Janice) came over and welcomed me to the church. Guess I stood out as a newbie.
The service started, the Pastor (Jill) was very warm and inviting as she spoke to, and not at, the congregation.
After the service I stayed behind because I wanted to talk to the Pastor. As I sat in the last pew, so many people stopped, introduced themselves and said ‘Hello and welcome’.
I was overwhelmed, in a good way, to say the least. So many names, I would never remember. After that Sunday I bought a small notebook and over the next few weeks, jotted down as many names as I could remember.
That was almost seven months ago, and I haven’t missed a Sunday. More importantly, I never thought of an excuse not to go to service.
That is a testament not to me, but to the people I have met along the way in those seven months.
So thank you Pastor Jill, Janice, Judy, Faith, Erica, Mike, Vanessa, Lauren, Beth, Kelly & David, Cathy, Diane & Cal, John, and last and by no means least, Becky.
In fact, let me tell you something about Becky.
Becky is the Musical Director for the church. Since I usually sit in one of the last rows, Becky plays her music directly behind me.
A few weeks ago, during communion, when I returned to my seat, Becky started to play a piece of music that was very familiar to me. After the service I asked her the name of the hymn (which I promptly forgot). I told Becky that the music was also from one of my favorite songs, ‘Barbara Allen’ a song by Art Garfunkel.
It was a happy coincidence.
What happened next was not.
I mean, it was not a coincidence, but it certainly made me happy.
Last Sunday, at the end of the service, as the pastor and members of the congregation exited the church, Becky played some music. Then, in mid song, the music changed.
What did it change to?
‘Barbara Allen’
I immediately turned around, and Becky looked right at me with a big smile on her face.
And what did I do?
I smiled back, of course.
When most of the congregation left, and Becky was done playing, I asked her why she played that particular piece of music.
“Well,” she said, still with a smile, “I saw you sitting there, and I new you liked the song, so…”
I could say it made my day, but in reality, it made my year.
Why?
Because what the rest of the congregation heard was a hymn. But what I heard, and what Becky played just for me, was my favorite song.
On my short trip home, on a road I’ve driven a thousand times before, I thought to myself…
...I think I have found my people.
