As I was walking Luna this morning I had an interesting conversation that I wanted to share with you (No. . . not with Luna. She may be cute, but I haven’t heard her talk yet). We were a little over 2 miles into our regular Friday walk and it had gone well. Her excited energy, which manifests itself at the beginning of the walk in jumps and runs, was gone. Now she walked just a few steps in front of me, stopping every so often to look back and make sure I was still there.
She did not bark and lunge at anyone on this walk. . . just a few excited ‘jumps’ at passing cars that were too far away from her to matter at all. This was interesting to me.
It was a good walk.
Then, at that point, just a short distance from the development next to Plains Church, my podcast stopped and my phone began to ring. Caller ID: Philadelphia. “Hmmm. . .” I thought, “I don't know anyone in Phila.” But I answered. (Now before I continue, do not worry, the information that I am going share is incorrect. I would not give this information out to anyone).
The caller was from the Board of Pensions of the PC(USA) in relation to a grant that JonMark was being given as the child of a Board member. They were calling because some of the numbers on the account where the money is to be deposited were not right. (This is the stuff that I was saying that I wouldn’t share over email. . .which you agree with I am sure).
“Rev. Marotta,” the man said, “I am calling to confirm JonMark’s account number. Our records indicate its 01234. . .” He went on.
“No is not right,” I said tying not to be frustrated because I have given them this information several times. “Its 01324. . .” He repeated it, “But I thought that was the routing number. . .” My shoulders rose a little as we talked.
Back and forth we went for about 2 minutes trying to confirm the numbers. . . “01234 right. “No 01324.” Finally we got it sorted and I hope for the last time. But it got me thinking a little about the power of patience and the necessity of listening. If I talked over him, or tried to interrupt to correct his error too quickly, then I would only add to the chaos of the moment (remember Luna is pulling me a little down the street and I have to watch out for her and keep an eye on my footing). Instead, I needed to remain calm, speak clearly, and relax.
I had the information on a picture that JonMark gave me so it was just a matter of going slowly over what needed to be shared—even if the photo was on an angle that made it hard to walk, hold Luna, and read the numbers clearly. Again, patience and listening.
I wonder, as the weekend gets here, if there is a moment today where you might just need to practice the same posture that I did on Hope Rd—patience and listening??
Blessings
Rev. Derek
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