God is in the Cheese - Again

Today, I was running around Trader Joe's like a mad woman. I was in a rush, as I have been all week. I was being rude and impatient. I hate being like that. I was winding down and had one last thing to get - some cheese. 


As I was looking over the selection, a woman came up next to me. She was blind and had her helper dog right next to her, along with the cutest Trader Joe's employee. I looked at her and her dog, and realized that she was the beautiful woman I had met a year ago at reading by Anne Lamott. I said hello, and told her about how we had met before, and how she had told me the best story. And she said, "And here we again, meeting over the cheese."


I think God has a tremendous sense of humor.

Here is our original story...

Last week, I went to a reading by the author Anne Lamott. She is such a wonderful writer. I am particularly fond of her essays, which beautifully talk about life, motherhood, dogs, children, beauty, politics, aging, oh, and God.

While I was waiting in line to go into the theatre where the reading was taking place, a blind woman was escorted to the end of the line behind me. I asked if I could help her and she laughed and said, “Just keep telling me when the line moves!

Standing in line, I met her dog Beau and we chatted about dogs and being blind and what spring smells like. As I was talking to her, I was thinking about what courage it takes to be out in the world as a blind person. To be in utter darkness with just your dog to show you the way. If I were blind, I think I would never leave my house.

We navigated our way into the theatre and took our seats. Beau curled up in front of us. We kept talking and started in on Anne Lamott’s books. We agreed on how much we loved them, what a great a writer she was. Then my new friend said, “But sometimes when I read her books, I am like what’s up with all that God stuff? It was like God, God, God everywhere.”

“Hmmm,” I said, looking around for my soapbox. But before I could start spouting my thoughts on an all–loving God, my new friend said, ”But then, one day I started to see what she means. I got it. I was in Harvard Square, and I wanted to so much to go Fromaggios, the cheese store, to get some cheese to bring for Thanksgiving.”

“Oh Fromaggios! Yes!” I said, “But that’s a huge walk from Harvard Square. I’d walk that far for cheese, but still, it’s quite a journey.”

“Oh so you know, you get this! It would be so worth the trip, but it was far, and I was unsure. So I stopped and asked a man for directions, and he started to tell me but then he said ‘Why don’t I just take you there?’ even though he wasn’t going in that direction. He ended up walking with me for twenty minutes. He finally said he had to go, but that the store was up ahead, about three blocks.”

“So you were close?” I asked, trying to imagine making this journey without sight.

My friend continued, “Well, I walked a few more blocks but still wasn’t at the store. I stopped to get my bearings and a car pulled up and a woman asked me if she could help. I told her where I was going and the woman said ‘Oh, it’s a bit further than that. Get in, I’ll drive you’. So I got in the car and she drove me to the cheese store, while Beau played in the back seat with Twinkles, her dog.”

I was just shaking my head, “Wow, so much trust to be able to do that.”

"Well she seemed very nice. She took me to the cheese store and I must have spent ages there. It was heavenly, all the smells and the wonderful cheeses, I tasted so many. I finally choose a nice selection for Thanksgiving, while this kind woman waited for me outside. And get this, when I came out of the store, she offered to drive me home. So I let her.”

“After that experience, I thought, well, there must be a God, and he’s right here with us. He’s in these great people that showed up and helped me with my trip to get cheese for Thanksgiving!”

"Yeah," I sighed. “That’s kind of where I find God, in the good people who show up in my life and help me with my journey. But how great is that, you were looking for cheese and you found these great people, you found God.” I said as Beau rested his head on my foot and tears filled my eyes.

Sometimes I wonder what God’s up to when bad things happen like miners dying or wars or Haiti. But God gives me a huge smile when he does stuff like help this kind blind woman find her way to getting the best cheese in town. God makes me smile even bigger when he puts this amazing woman in the path of God-loving, cheese-loving me so she can tell me her story.

And I can tell you.