Stealth DRE

This morning I did something totally radical that I haven't done in years. Or at least I tried to. I went to church. You know, just went to church.

I parked way in the back of the parking lot at 9:55 for a 10am service. I snuck in through the side door and ducked into the bathroom because I could hear my friend and colleague, the DRE of Eastshore Unitarian church in the foyer. Then I snuck into the way back of the sanctuary and darn if I wasn't warmly greeted even in my seat by the wife of the Minister Emeritus! She was very sweet and promised to leave me undercover.

Then, my dear friend Barbara Cornell came and sat right down by me! Now the gig was up! Barbara was the one solid reason I survived my first year as a DRE, she was my mentor and friend and the goddess who told me that I somehow had gotten myself into the GRADUATE level year one of DRE work what with ALL the trouble we had that first year. This past year she was the student minister in my congregation; a heavenly place to have her, she was never for one second threatening to me. I understood why she wanted to work with the minister I serve with. Peg Morgan IS a goddess after all. Next year Barbara has a paid intern year at Bellingham UUF. Of COURSE she does, who would be better? I sure didn't expect her here across town from her house, but it was a real treasure to see her.

So we sat together through this fantastic service by Julia McKay, the Chaplain Resident at Evergreen Hospital. It was full of music and movement and rang through the soaring sanctuary filled with holy notes rising. Here was another example of leading a service with a guitar slung over your shoulder; I love doing that. We sang "Come, Come Whoever You Are" in parts. We sang "Meditation on Breathing". And then she broke us up into groups of four and had us create our own foundation, decoration and complementary music.

It was a holy moment of coincidence. I was with Barbara and two other lovely women and we created real music. Then Barbara with her lovely extroverted self and fantastic singing voice volunteered our group to share with the whole congregation, so now of course I was totally out as visiting a church on my Sunday off!

Oh well, who needs stealth when you've got a fantastic morning celebrating every sacred speck of dust in this amazing incarnation we know as the world? I guess not me. I guess not! I am SO glad I went.