guest blogger...hehe

so, here's something a friend sent that i thought was beautiful and asked if i could put here. she said yes!!! enjoy...

JMJ

Okay I am not sure how this is related to my guys over there or if it even is but here's a story.

Sunday I am sitting in Mass--late and alone, woohoo no one to tell to not wipe boogers on your brother to--kiddos and dad went to early--anyway this lady sitting in front of me is glaring at this other woman to my right who is coughing...yeah yeah she should get up and leave...honestly she is surrounded by very large relatives on either side and getting out would be as mortifying as sitting there and trying to get her cough under control which by her purple face and bulging eyes I am thinking she is trying to do...

anyway...if you know don't know anything about Catholic Mass we have opening prayers, a first reading, psalms, second reading and then we read from the Gospel...all an all about 25 minutes for the first half of Mass. THE WHOLE TIME this mean lady is shooting filthy looks at this intermittently coughing lady. Normally, if you are going to get up at our church you try to wait through the Gospel and I am certain this is what this little Hispanic lady was trying to do--well-- okay-- I am pretty sure the first thing she was actually trying to do was will the floor to open up and swallow her whole, but no luck.

Anyway--mean lady glares, cough lady coughs and I get madder and madder. I'm staring at the crucifix hanging 50 feet ahead and 15 feet over mean lady's head and I'm actually looking to see if by some freak of nature or a sudden and overwhelming need for God to make an example of someone that Jesus will lift his head right there and let mean lady have it. Yeah yeah figuratively people figuratively--I'm Catholic not crazy....anyway so she goes for her 756 shot at cough lady and before I have actually finished my silent imploration to God, my mouth opens up and I hear, "Look, you have to stop giving that woman such mean looks" come flying out of my mouth.

Initially, the look on mean lady's face was a smile as though I was commiserating with her...then it shifted when my words hit her eardrums and she flung around and lifted a shoulder up in cough lady's direction. I was HOT. HOT! I tell you. What the hell? What is WRONG with people. WHY WHY WHY are we so hateful and unkind? What is the purpose? Why do people sleepwalk through their life and fail to show mercy when so much is shown to us by others?

Okay so then I look up and see our priest giving the same hateful look. I was floored. Floored I mean on his best day this guy has the personality of a speed bump, but he is minutes away from consecrating bread and wine and his only thought is to show disapproval? I left. I just got up walked the center aisle of the Church and walked home. I didn't even wait for my ride.

Yes, cough lady was having a hard time, maybe she could have got up, but by the look on her face and her timid nature in general I think she was rooted. Someone in that Church had to have a freaking cough drop. Monsignor could have had an acolyte go tot he sacristy and bring her a cup of water for goodness sake. I did look for one in the narthex, or lobby of the church, but there wasn't anything to put water into...anyway...I left. I considered walking back up and going to the sacristy and getting some there but I wondered about my own motives and I was seriously angry and didn't trust myself to go back in there and look at that man's face and not say the same thing to him...so I left, walked home and it started to rain. I was hot and sweaty walking and it started to rain. I looked up, thanked God and started to laugh.

Hope