OH YEAH? WELL GOD BLESS YOU TOO BUDDY!

With the assistance of some donated paint and some kind volunteers we painted the sacristy recently. Funny thing about painting a room: When it is desperate need of pain everybody notices. When it is newly painted nobody notices. It just is the way it is supposed to be.

When you are driving down the highway it is very easy to notice rude, idiotic, and dangerous drivers. We are driving along not noticing (usually) how many good, courteous, and safe drivers around us when a MOTHER OF PEARL! driver cuts us off or rides the bumper of the car or some other such thing. There is a ready prayer that most people know for such moments. It is not nice but many of us learned it growing up. In the comics it looks something like this, “%$@** %#$@* ^#%%@?!!!!!!”

The unfortunate part is that the person never knows of your anger. They go along their merry way and you sit stewing and upset and miss some of the best lines from Lake Woebegone. That is unless you are the type of person who then speeds after the offender in hopes to of making them feel is rotten as you do. In that case the unfortunate part is that you have become exactly what you hate.

In the way that (far too many – I include myself from time to time) mark offenders on the road, have you ever given though to searching out people of Christian driving habits? Granted, they are driving the way and Christian driver is SUPPOSED to be driving, but why not give them credit. As a priest I usually give a little blessing the person – not that they can see, but just a little prayer for them that extended kindness toward me.

I usually do this for the person who slows down, moves over, or in some minor way inconveniences themselves to accommodate me when I am entering the highway or need to change lanes or such like things. The same goes if they do it for someone else. Out of state license plates get the secret blessing (which is confusing when I drive out of state) as well as newly bought car tags (because they will need it!) People who blast past me driving well over the speed limit also get it since they are sacrificing themselves to the speed trap so I do not get caught.

Overall it helps me have a more positive attitude and allows the mind to focus on what is good around me instead of only really noting the dirty, stinking, cigarette butt tossing jerky boys – uhm – I mean those poor souls who are probably in need of even more prayer.