Remarkable

This morning I awoke at 4AM and couldn't return to sleep.  I tried.  I realized that anxiety about a few upcoming events kept me from falling asleep again and read about insomnia on Wikipedia.  Around 5:30 AM I thought I might as well go for an early run, but I didn't have time to meet the early group.  When I ventured out at 6:30AM, I had technical difficulties with my Garmin.  After my long run on Saturday, it beeped incessantly until I turned it over to my husband to quiet.  This morning it gave me nothing but the time.

My run on the greenway was unremarkable.  I saw a friend who had led the early run group walking her dog, and we stopped and chatted.  I promised that I would make some early runs in the future.  A little later I noticed new vandalism and stopped to take pictures.  I cannot understand why bored teens feel the need to destroy wood bridge railings.

Then the remarkable did happen.  As I climbed a hill toward home, I saw a priest walking toward me on the sidewalk reading what I assume was a small Bible.  I felt like I was moving in slow motion, and I stared and stared some more.  He looked up, and I nodded.  The local parish priest lives in the neighborhood, but this was not him.  After I passed the priest, a huge smile spread across my face.  I stopped, turned, and contemplated stalking him to get a good picture for my blog.  I let him proceed in peace and took a picture of him walking away at a distance.

I don't remember removing my earphones, but I put them on after taking the picture.  Florence and the Machine's "Shake It Up" was playing at these exact lyrics, "And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back, so shake him off."  I often look for reasons for things.  This was the reason for my insomnia.   I was meant to happen upon this unfamiliar priest on a familiar run and hear those lyrics, which I've played over and over, but never really heard.    

Then I thought about the presence of God within those who walk among us and was overcome with emotion.  I pulled myself together before encountering two familiar men walking their dogs.  I looked at them a little differently this morning.