the oncoming Israelites

Who would have thought an unemployed person could find so much to do? It's nice to post again.
I had a tender dream last night that has left me feeling warm all day, and I'm currently debating (even as I rattle away here) whether I should share it so publicly.
I only remember a few select details, and I'm sure as I've thought about it at points throughout the day I've added good smells and misty moments, and subtracted the stumbles and embarassed giggles.

A lovely young lady came up behind me, slipped her hands into the mittens I was wearing, leaned against me ever so slightly, and engaged me in quiet conversation. That's all.

Maybe that's all I want to remember, but I don't really care. And without going into sappy details and drawing attention where attention need not be drawn, I will simply say I had some warm, thoughtful moments today.
Today was a little stressy otherwise. Did a little job hunting - for the first time ever. It went quite well, but of the three places I stopped at, exactly none of the meetings turned out the way I had expected. I'd call it one of those experiences where you need a dad-like figure to slap you on the back and say " 'Builds character," and "Put's hair on your chest."
Here's another warm moment that snuck in behind my job hunt. You know when you're waiting for the walk sign at a busy corner (22nd and 1st ave in Saskatoon), and you're standing in a group of people, waiting quietly, trying to look busy with your own thoughts, and feeling quite solitary in the crowd? I felt a little like that today, and then the walk light lit and spurred the muted charge across the street. As I describe it, I'm reminded of a bunch of self-absorbed Israelites, with no Moses, charging through a parted sea of cars and trucks. The warm part came when I realized the task at hand, namely trying to navigate around and between the oncoming Israelites crossing from the other side. There are several strategies: you can dance around each other, or veer wide until pedestrians take up an imaginary 30-foot-wide cross walk, or charge straight ahead and look as ticked and busy as possible, or shrink your shoulders, make a cow-catcher with your hands, and tiptoe timidly through the crowd. I was just starting to shrink my shoulders when I caught the eye of an oncoming middle aged lady. In an instant - less than an instant - we both understood what was going on and she smiled the sweetest, most beautiful, unrehearsed, high-above-the-fray smile I've seen in a while. She passed three feet to my right, and yet it was like we touched mentally. We shared an inner giggle and slipped away. Without sounding too sappy, I almost feel like I made a new friend today.
One more warm moment, this one from last night at Kids Club. I was "playing" with a little boy from Afghanistan who's name I can't remember. He had one of those Fisher Price tape recorder/microphone jobs, and he was talking to me - into the microphone - and I didn't have a hot clue what he was saying. But he kept saying, "Okay?", so I said "Okay." Once in a while he'd tell me to clap, so I figured we were having a game show, and then he'd say something else and I'd be sure he was a weatherman. Then his little voice sounded even more sing-songish than usual, and I was sure he was a rockstar. I'd ask him what he was, and he'd answer, but I'm not sure he was speaking English, or any language at all. And then he'd count "1,2" and point at any 2 or 3 things within reach. The warm part came when he decided to use my beard. He'd touch one part, under my left ear "1", and then another part on my chin "2", or my moustache, or just anywhere in the big nasty nest, but always so gently, so carefully, his brown eyes intent on his fingers in my beard, his voice quietly counting, making no effort to compete with the literal chaos exploding in the room around us. I'm not sure I can properly explain why moments like that are so fresh and warm in me, and I wasn't sure how to respond to the boy at the time, so I tickled him and he laughed and we played with some blocks.
Let's learn about love. Let's really love each other, and the people we don't even know. And let's tell Hollywood to go lick a phone booth and take their "lust at first sight" malarkey with them. Let's be humble and seek God and find out about real love. I think I'll try, and if you do, let me know how it goes.