Open Talk Reprieve

 So I spend the whole day reflecting, worrying, scheming about this open talk.  What should I say? What shouldn't I say?  Should I invite my girlfriend/fiance'? And the boy?  I've been to probably around 100 talks so far, seen incredibly moving to so-so. Only one that was remotely bad, and it was at this meeting.  A real rush job, disorganized, last minute fill-in (about 1 of 3 here is a last minute due to no-shows).  Most come in just on time.  Perfect, like their personal adventures before and after were tailor-made for the 50 minute slot.  Quite a few more than I would expect wrap it up in 20-25 minutes.  I figure I've got about 4-5 hours of sheer brilliance to share.

I decide to maybe do some writing to get warmed up, rev up the memories and emotions.  That was when I started this journal.  The more I thought the deeper it got.  In the end with time ran out and the boy (her/our 11 year old son) came home from school.  So I figured it best just to do page of bullet points in my notebook and put the rest in God's basket.  Four pages later I was done. 

I had time to dilly, dally and hang with my woman for a few after she got home from work, made an Americano to go and headed South.  As I rounded the last block to the church I saw the sillouette of a cat run across the road 100 yards ahead of me.  I wondered to myself if it was a black cat.  Then I remembered I live with a black cat who not only crosses my path numerous times daily but also sleeps on me.

As I approached the chairperson waved me aside.  There's been a hitch she explained.  The usual booking person wasn't there last week when I got tagged and he asked someone last week who's from out of town to speak tonight and would I mind bumping back a week?  Of course not.  Nevermind that as the speaker opened she mentioned she hadn't been asked to do the talk just a couple hours before.  Honest mistake or KISMET, makes no matter to me.

The talk wrapped, I thanked the speaker and we did the Lord's prayer.  I chatted with a buddy for a few and headed back North with another week to torture myself and revel in the Grace that this program has given me.