Day 5

I have an addendum to add to yesterday: on my way into the poetry event, and then again leaving dinner, I bumped into a friend I haven't seen in a long time, and though we didn't have much chance to talk (so much catchup to do, especially since she was just in India over Interim!), it's these little run-ins that are truly the highlights in my days.

Today started bright and early heading to the 9:00 service at Emmaus, where I was pleasantly surprised with a very fun and just plain "good" selection of songs, especially "Shelter" and Chris Tomlin's "Forever". The other very pleasant surprise was to see Pastor Will back in the pulpit after being sick at home with shingles for a month.

Almost the entire afternoon was spent in a very comfortable (almost too comfortable) study pit in the library, just writing: I had four days (plus an introduction) of surprises to journal, so it was about time I dealt with all those random voice notes I'd taken. On a completely other note, while there I also had the pleasant surprise of discovering I'd already paid off my Target credit card. At least that's one less thing to worry about.

Since the library didn't open until noon, I spent about an hour this morning sitting in a window cubby in Buntrock near the Cage, an hour which held some nearly countless number of those day-highlighting "little run-ins": little surprise packages called friends, coupled with pleasant smiles that I'm sure God sent knowing how much they would lift me up.

Just before 6:00 I finally put down the computer and "Surprise Me" book and journeyed to Fireside to meet the Selah people for dinner, where I attempted, as always, somewhat unsuccessfully, to be funny, before returning to my cozy library corner for homework-esque reading.

The night didn't bring many "surprises", but a comment must be made about the smiles that I kept smiling at Selah. I know the songs by heart, at least, for the most part, so my eyes will often tend to wander around during the singing to see who else is there, and it seemed like every time I wandered tonight, they spotted a new friend or acquaintance coming in the door, down the steps, and into worship. It was no shock to see any one of these people in particular, but it made me smile to realize how Selah, how God, had brought so many very different people from different areas in my life into this one place, all for the same purpose of glorifying our Creator.