Holy week is MY FAVORITE THING EVER. I get to geek out on liturgy and tradition, and thanks to my mom I enjoy all of the symbolism through it all. Being a church musician keeps me busy in all of the best ways possible.
Yesterday's vigil was awesome. The man who chanted the Exsultet? sublime. I could listen to the guy sing all day every day. PERFECT tenor. I live for the Vigil. It is literally my favorite night of the year. Screw Christmas. Screw EVERYTHING else. The Great Vigil is my jam.
This morning we got to enjoy both Byrd's "Haec Dies" and Handel's "Hallelujah." In the Byrd, all "haec" breaks loose and we sail on a sea of polyphony. If you count your keister off, it works. But if you start paying attention to all of the other parts, fuggedaboudit. 6 voices is too much for this out-of-practice musician to relax. But it sure is fun to sing and listen to afterward!
But the best part of the whole week happened when I was walking out of church today after Easter Sunday mass. I was laughing, saying Happy Easter to everyone, and as I opened the door, an elderly gentleman with very few teeth, thin as a rail, and in clothes that clearly came from a clothes closet (didn't fit etc.) asked maybe if I could help him. He wasn't asking for food or money. He was asking for a jacket, because his hoodie wasn't protecting him against the unseasonably cool wind, and it was quite windy. I was sporting a pale pink dress and a "leather" jacket that I'd scored for a song and dance at Target, and I knew there would be no one to open the clothes closet. But I went through the motions of asking around, because I had a decent not-leather-but-perfectly-acceptable-yet-purple jacket in my car. So I took the man to my car and told him that here was my normal jacket, and would this leather jacket fit him? He was floored, but I made him try it on, and it fit him just right. A sign! After a bit of convincing him that I was totally glad to give it to him ("But it's leather!" "no, I'm afraid it's not leather, it's from Target but still in good shape" ... etc...), I was able to get him to put it on and go on its way. I got a handful of sweet compliments and thank yous. I didn't care about the words. I cared about the comfort I saw in his face after I helped shield him from the wind. Heck, if I'd not had a good spring jacket I'd still have given it to him since I have a paycheck coming and a warm car that can get me to work.
His "God bless you" was enough. More than enough. As I was driving home, I saw him crossing the main drag of downtown (it's an urban parish) wearing the coat and looking warmer than he had when I met him.
If I post this anywhere obvious, people will think I'm gloating at my good deed. But it has nothing to do with the goodness of my deed. His eyes, etc... they were worth more than any thousands of dollars I could have spent on the finest of jackets.
The folks like this man... THOSE are who make kindness so important. I don't care if he sold it for drugs or anything else. He was cold. I helped make him not cold, and that is enough.
I'll never forget him, even though I don't want to tell anyone about him.... I told 2 of my closest friends who understand, but I know I can't gloat, because then it'll be about me rather than him... and HE is the most important part of this story. His humility, kindness, and gratitude for all that is life...
Amen.