Of Latte Art and Wendy's, Strangers on the Bus and God Moments

'Sup. That's my totally gangsta way that I'm going to start every blog (or at least this one).

I realize i use ellipsises (ellipses? those crazy triple dot things) too often in my titles, so Ima switch it up and let the title be a little bit about how my day was.

First, the Latte Art . . . (DAMN it - there they are again)

K, so I work at a cafe. And while I love meeting people and serving them stuff, I like to think most people who come through the door are a lot like me - laid back, chilled out, and I just want what I ordered in a timely fashion. However, I happen to work for someone who is obsessed with Latte Art. And really, he's my superior, so he gets to call the shots. I'm not complaining about that - I'm not really complaining at all - but it's interesting to me that I can't serve a single drink unless that latte art is perfect. And if it's not? I throw it out.

Understand, I hate waste with a passion. My dear Oma instilled in me a heightened sense of how blessed I am to be able to CHOOSE what I want to eat. And if I put it on my plate, I'd better eat it, or Oma would find a way to make me.

I feel a little ashamed that I throw away a luxury drink just because the heart I made with steamed milk is not perfectly shaped.

However, if I didn't work at Waves, then today would not have unfolded the way it did. I would not have had a chance to give someone a Junior Bacon Cheeseburger. And yes, fast food is bad for you and there are healthier food options - but I'm on a rather tight budget ( zero dollars set aside for food), and so when I have a chance to bless someone with what little I DO have, it's not gonna be any organic junk. Sorry.

For the record, he loved it. His face lit up like Christmas, and the little prayer I had been praying the whole time I was in the Wendy's near the bus stop came true - the bus didn't come until we had time to share our little meal together and chat a bit.

Also, if I didn't work at Waves, I wouldn't have met Shelley, who is in the Music Program at Ambrose (the Christian Liberal Arts University right beside us at Waves), and who happened to be on the same first bus that I was on. Can't remember how the conversation got there, but we ended up talkign about heaven . . . maybe it's two pilgrims sharing thoughts about what their final destination is giong to be, and for a little while, the journey we were both on was a little easier. Whatever the case, I love God moments like that. Here's what I mean. If I believe the creation record in Genesis 1 and 2, than humans are the closest to God of anything I'm going to find here on earth. And call me crazy, but sometimes, if you're open to it, a conversation with someone who is otherwise a stranger can be like talking to the One who knows you best.

So the moral for today? Well, I've never regretted buying someone a meal, no matter how small, but I have regretted times when I could have and didn't. Be bold in your giving. And be open to God's presence anywhere, even on the Number 2 heading east on 17th Ave.

Also . . . cherish the people who are in front of you while they are there. It might not seem too connected to anything I have written thus far, but it's been on my mind a lot.