The Wind in my Headscarf

I do weird things. Just ask my husband. One of the fairly odd things that I do is drive sometimes as much as an hour away to different coffee shops to get my homework done (the library of course is far too quiet and boring). One of my chief reasons for going to a coffee shop to begin with is that if I stay home I can't ignore the distractions of things that need done. I do things like paint my entry door instead of writing a paper because that is the length I will go to avoid displeasure (if you follow the enneagram- I'm a very true 7). Why not paint something that has needed to be painted for years on a whim instead of putting laundry away or hey, writing that paper?! Makes total sense. I would tell you that the reason my local coffee shop (which I love) just won't do is because I see too many people I know there and thus spend my time "yackin" instead of writing which defeats my purpose. That is true. But the bigger truth is I am a creatively wired dog (I hate cats). To get myself to put words on a page about the topics that are the most mundane and painful for me (ahem...church history) I have to go somewhere that stimulates me. I travel to places where I feel different because I am most assuredly an outside observer. I write a few lines and then I drift and dream.

Considering that I live in the land of delft and dutch fronts where my community of 10,000 generally paints in 2 colors and hides behind the same cut-out's, it's not hard to find places that differ. There is a community just 15 minutes away with a coffee shop by the exact same name as one that we have. It provides the needed change of regular patronage. I go there for basic assignments and when I don't have time to travel. However, I have two favorite places to go. One is about an hour south of us and is home to the Maharishi school of the Age of Enlightenment. It is very colorful. There is a coffee shop that I enjoy, but even more so I love a little Turkish hole in the wall diner. I could spend hours there. The owners are friendly, the food is good, the wifi is free, and the customers are dynamic to say the least. I'd have an easy cast of characters if I could be working on a novel instead of my homework.

My second favorite place is a coffee shop in our nearest big city of Des Moines. It's in an area that I feel like most of my friends don't even know exists. Instead of climbing up onto the bypass to the shopping extravagance of the West side you just stay the course and roll right into the heart of the city. Most people think Des Moines is like the rest of Iowa and like my small town- flat and monochromatic. It is far more beautiful then that. I'm not sure why I always drive the distance to this particular cafe because it's always busy and I never land a corner booth with my back to the wall which is optimal for hiding and watching. Today I had to sit up at the bar (with other people!) that faces out to the street. At first I was annoyed because I don't like having my screen face into the room (someone might know I'm doing religiously related homework, or blogging, or both). But today it's given me an entirely different vista for which I'm grateful. There are all kinds of signs of spring outside. There is nothing green yet, but all kinds of people on the move. There are university students out doing a video project, tall thin white people in their mid 40's who've moved in to "elevate the neighborhood", poor people who live in the apartments down the block, unattended children playing ball, and other oddballs like me sitting in the coffee shop.

Then it happened. First a young man walked by with what looked to be a friend. They were followed by two small boys which makes me think he was actually some sort of aid worker instead of simply a friend. Then following them was a woman, a teenager, and preteen girl all with their heads covered in different but brilliant colors. They all passed like everyone else and ignored me and every other person in their path, but the girl looked up. She kept walking with her people but looked over her shoulder to smile at me. She waved. I smiled and waved back. This encounter doesn't necessarily make me focus on my homework or write any better. It does hearten me to the world and my fleeting place in it. It connects me to people and helps me to know beauty as I think God intended it to look. I am but a fleck in the world, but my connection to other humans matters. My assignment today is to write about the work of the holy spirit as it relates to the trinity and I do believe that her smile has helped me to remember the invocation that must be a part of this work.

Systematic theology is a “task that ventures a faithful, coherent, timely, and responsible articulation of the Christian faith” ( Migliore, Daniel L. Faith Seeking Understanding: An Introduction to Christian Theology). For me, a responsible articulation of the Christian faith is not one that is painted only in blue and white. It is not born of privilege and articulated in a bubble. It does not encourage fear based understanding and it does not perpetuate strength for the strong. This young girls face has seared itself into my mind and will remain for a time. I pray for her. I pray for her family. If she is in fact a "new Iowan" as I suspect, I pray that she will not know the experience of depravity at the hands of Christians. I hope for her future and wish her joy and freedom. May her path be guided by the holy spirit and may the world return her greeting.