Weekly Message from T. J.

Entwined

Yesterday started out like a lot of days: time catching up with friends in the morning, some coffee, and then a little trip to get a new remote control for my car. I arrived at the scheduled time, 7:30 am. And I figured there would be some work that needed to be done. But then at 10 am, two and a half hours later, I started to wonder what on earth could be taking so long for something so small. I inquired as gently as possible. And unsurprisingly, the service manager was way overworked. One tech called in sick, another went to Vegas…it was not his morning either.

We laughed together at this, and I eventually got my car, new remote and all. But then all the time I thought I had in the day had shrunk. So when I got the church to start preparing for taping the next episode of our community’s new show, I was already rushing. But I was able to swoop around the church, gathering all I needed and packing it into my newly-working car with enough time to spare. I found a great parking spot, went inside, and I started to prepare physically and spiritually for the experience.

And then feeling so spiritual, I walked to my car to get my dinosaur water bottle for the filming. And there I met someone standing right in front of the car I’d spent the morning dealing with. She was dealing with my car in a different way: with a ticket. I confess that I did mention that I was there to interview a priest of the diocese where the parking lot is located. And rightfully so, the super-friendly (I say this truly) attendant suggested I take it up with the diocese. But I received the ticket with a smile and fetched my water for the taping.

I settled in at last, with the morning and the start of the afternoon behind me. I took the microphone in hand…and…to learn what happened next, I strongly urge you to set a reminder for 6 pm on Tuesday, February 11 on Chanel 53, ‘olelo. Maybe gather some friends over to watch live, or else tape it on DVR and gather at another time. Or you can tune in by clicking right here at that time: click here.

After finishing the taping of this episode, I felt like something shifted in my day, and maybe in my life. Waiting two and a half hours for a car and then getting a ticket I felt I didn’t really deserve, on almost any other day, would have been the main thing about that day I would have shared with my friends that evening. But in the hour of speaking with one of the most singularly wise and inspiring people I know in a truly unique and powerful place shifted my day. And the unimaginable, unforeseeable ways our two lives shifted to entwine and arrive right where we were in that hour, became the only story worth telling my friends, worth telling you. And you don’t even need a ticket to witness it…I got one for both of us.

And may it ever be so.

Rev. T. J.
minister@unitariansofhi.org