Lent 29

It's amazing how one ridiculously stupid thing can ruin someone's entire day.  Aside from having to wake up too early and for this one stupid thing, I've had a pretty good day.  I got my paper for worship finished.  I attended a fascinating talk on how food is a tool that unites countless people.  Hymnody class was a powerful look into the history of Spirituals.  I found out I have a free drink waiting for me at Starbucks.  I had a free lunch and a free dinner.  Things are pretty good.

And if it weren't for this one stupid thing, I'd have no problem saying that today was a good day.  Unfortunately for you, dear reader, I'm not going to be able to tell you what's wrong here.  I'll pull a Paul though and just say that I have a...oh let's go with "thorn"...that I'm dealing with.  In the grand scheme of things, it's really nothing.  It's just really stupid.  But it's ridiculous enough that it has dampened the mood of my day.

And yet, just as something so small and stupid can kill a day, something equally small and stupid can lift someone up.  Some people know that I have a lot of vinyl records.  Given the fact that I have nothing to play them at my apartment, it's probably a collection that's too big.  Well this weekend, I added to it by buying a huge box of them from a UMW book sale.  In that box, was the original London cast recording of Les Miserables.  I'm currently sitting in the youth room of church (which for some reason has a record player) and listening to it.  And I don't know, there's just something about listening to a record that brings me joy and peace.  Maybe it's the fact that you can't skip through a record.  Maybe it's my hipster side showing through (I swear I'm not a hipster).  Maybe it really just does sound better.  Whatever the reason, it's lifting my spirits after a crappy day, and I'll take it.

Today, I saw God in listening to Les Miserables on vinyl.