God Moment

Advent is upon us and we are five days into this time of waiting and preparation.  I very much enjoy this time of getting ready for Christmas.  I try to notice God in my every day life and to take time to savor the excitement of my children and the beauty around me.  However, like most people, I sometimes get caught up in the "have to dos" and probably miss out on the things I really should be noticing.  

This morning was not one of those times.  My original plans for the morning were changed and so I decided it was time to go out and do a little Christmas shopping.  As the "non-worker" in the family much of the shopping and preparations fall to me (which is just fine - I enjoy it).  So this was really an extra unplanned morning and I decided to do a leisurely shop.  

As I was walking out of a store, I looked over at the register next to me and recognized the woman checking out.  She and I were in a preschool parents group a couple of years ago and we greeted each other.  I already knew we had a lot in common, but as often happens, she lives in one town, I live in another town and so we haven't seen or talked to each other in over a year.  

We began to cautiously catch up.  We are both clergy spouses and that forms a unique bond and I think allows both of us to let down the barriers a bit in talking.  The first thing we discovered in chatting was that both of our husbands had taken 3 month sabbaticals over the summer.  In the exact same months; June, July and August.  Then I mentioned that over the past year Harry was diagnosed Aspergers.  To my surprise her oldest son shares that diagnosis.  She also has a younger son with a similar age gap.  Harry's older, but it was one of those conversations of connection and a sharing of strength and hope.  

I walked away from that brief conversation feeling like God is with me and in fact guiding me along the journey.  I felt strengthened and reminded that although sometimes I feel alone in this journey I am not the only person experiencing this.  It was a wonderful thing to talk to another mother in a similar place who is looking out for her son and wondering where life will lead her.  It was a lovely way to connect and remember that we are not alone.  There will always be others along the journey who will share a step or two with us.  We can share things we learned along the way and offer strength for the journey ahead.  I am still smiling over that conversation and I will revisit it as I go along.

Sometimes we have to desperately search for God in our days, but sometimes it can be like this morning and if we just open our eyes and ears and reach out to another person, God will come roaring in and surprise us with more love and understanding that we could have imagined.  I had a professor in college who called it a "realization", CS Lewis calls it a "glimpse of God" and I today am calling it a God Moment.  I hope you have such a thing today as well.