The last thing I want to see,
as I stumble into the kitchen at 5:00 AM
to feed the cats
and pour my first cup of decaf,
is Sophia,
in her nightgown
with her hair wrapped in...
I'm not sure what the thing is...
part turban, part stretchy headband.
Whatever it is,
when I'm half asleep,
and it's dark,
and it's completely unexpected,
it's scary.
"Good morning!" she says cheerfully.
"Good morning," I say, with resignation.
I clear my throat.
"Is it okay, as you deliver today's homily,
if I fix the cat's breakfast?"
"Certainly,"
she answered.
"Is it okay
if I ignore your irony
and help myself to coffee?"
"It's decaf," I remind her.
"By now I know," she answered.
"It will do."
As I open the can
and spoon out brown chunks of chicken,
dividing it between two dishes.
I ask:
"And the purpose of today's visit?"
"The God Project,"
she says.
I pull open the capsules of feline joint medicine
and sprinkle their contents on the food.
As I mix it in I ask,
"The God Project?"
"Yes,
I believe it's time for a reminder
of the bigger picture,
what I like to call
The God Project."
The cats,
who never seem unnerved by Sophia,
no matter when or where she pops up,
now mew insistently.
"Here you go, boys," I say
putting down their dishes.
She has filled mugs for both of us
and hands me one.
"The God Project,"
she continues,
"is the sum of God's intention for
and work in creation,
everything from the bang that began it all
to the final gathering into completion--
all of history,
but not just human history,
the broader, grander history
of matter and energy,
of all the God-stuff
scattered across the cosmos,
moving forward with purpose
until everything and everyone
finds its final fullness
in one, glorious, harmonious,
forever-felicitous celebration."
She stops. Sips. Looks at me.
"That includes you, sweetie."
She is right about needing this perspective;
I have been confined
in my cramped perspective,
a small mind that sees about 10 feet
in any direction.
I sip. I look back at her.
"Let's sit.
Tell me more."
Text and image © 2015 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.