An Encounter with God...

    Last weekend my wife and I headed down to Durham, NC to celebrate my 20th College reunion.  As happens at such events, there was some assessing of life, sharing of stories, and reacquainting ourselves with one another, as we reminisced about our days together two decades ago and recounted how we are currently living out the gifts of life given by God.

    When I was in college, I was blessed to be a part of a wonderful social network of friends.  We did everything together and truly discovered life and joy in the midst of those four years.  I still keep up with them, and along the way we’ve shared even more joy and discoveries, while also experiencing the hard knocks of life.  God placed us together, and for that I am thankful.
    While we were together during those three days, we spent lots of time talking, but we also shared meals together.  As per the ancient understanding that God is present at mealtime, we experienced this truth.  Indeed, God was found in the midst of our conversations, in the ways in which we reconnected, and in the insights that emerged as we supped.  However, there was one particular meal in which we experienced an unexpected encounter with God.
    On Saturday morning we gathered in the lobby of the hotel and headed out to eat at a local shopping center.  After searching and finally settling on a nice little café with outdoor seating, we ordered our food and proceeded to bask in the sun and converse around a metal table canopied by a canvas umbrella.
    As we shared with one another, however, a small girl, who looked to be five but whom we found out later was eight years old, approached us.  She had been sitting with her family at a nearby table, but when she was done eating she came over to speak with us.

    Her name was Mary Katherine, and as she approached us we immediately recognized her characteristics as those of a Down’s Syndrome child.  From behind purple glasses she smiled at us, then one by one she made her way around the table extending her hand for a handshake while saying, “Hello.  My name is Mary Katherine.  What is your name?”  We replied, and she followed up by saying, “And what did you have for breakfast?”
    The innocence of her approach was wonderfully refreshing, but what really got us was the way in which she carried herself.  As opposed to the way the rest of the world usually interacts, her body language revealed openness and trust.  She invited engagement from others and exuded a genuine care.
    It was beautiful to see her come to each one of us, but when she came to me there was something more there.  I’m not sure why or what it was, but when she asked me the questions, instead of standing back and receiving information, she put her arm around one shoulder and began to stroke my forearm, all the time sharing who she was and inquiring about who I was.
    As is natural when one encroaches personal space, at first I felt a bit uncomfortable.  But quickly the image of my daughter flashed in my mind and a connection was made.  You see, Mary Katherine’s actions mirrored my own daughter’s interactions with me.  My daughter, who was 180 miles away and of whom I was thinking about and missing, will often place her arm around me or stroke my arms as she talks, thus amplifying the love we share.
    There, on the patio of a little café in Durham, I felt the presence of God and experienced the reminder of love.  Through the innocence of a child I was reminded that God loves me. I had revealed to me that God is found in the midst of the simplest interaction.  I remembered the power of touch, care, and simply asking simple questions.

    At one point in His ministry, Jesus was speaking and the children were trying to get to Him.  As they

did, the disciples tried to keep the children away, for it would not be appropriate for the little ones to interrupt the Master, and yet Jesus stopped them.  “Let the little children come to me.  To such as these belongs the Kingdom of heaven.”
    Indeed to such as these belongs the Kingdom of heaven, and as those who possess the gift of heaven, they have much to teach and remind us.

    Thank you Mary Katherine for blessing us in a sidewalk café through a chance encounter.  Thank you God for speaking through a child, thus realigning me with that which matters most.

    As you go through your day, look for God’s children, then open yourself to receive them and all God offers you through them.