Working for the church, motherfuckers.
So, remember a little over a month ago, I was talkng about going back to voulenteering at a homeless shelter up in Vancouver on Thursday nights? Well, it has for the most part been going swimmingly, though it has not been entirely without some small bumps.
Before my first appearance there some five weeks back, I had spoken to the fellow in charge of the operation; a young man named Jordan, and had identified myself to him as "Dave, the atheist fellow who voulenteered there a few years back. Carl, who was running the show back then will remember me." So, while I had no interest in making an issue of my atheism or beating anyone over their heads with it, it was nevertheless out there so far as Jordan was concerned.
The first night went very well, and at the end of the evening as I was gathering up my gear from the church office where it had been locked up for safe-keeping, Jordan and I had a brief conversation on the topic.
Jordan: "Well, thanks for coming out. You're a really hard worker!"
Me: "Well, you know, I came here to work. What's the point in coming out if I'm not going to give it my all, right?"
Jordan: "Well, thanks. We really appreciate it."
Me: "I know you and I come at this from really different places, but the end result is the same. For my own part, I figure we're all alone in this great big universe, and nobody's going to help us but each other, and since we've only got this one shot at it, we owe it to ourselves and each other to make it as good as we can for all of us, you know?"
Jordan: "Well, bless you."
And that moment was so perfectly, perfectly absurd, in light of what I had just said, I could not contain a full-throated gale of laughter from erupting from my mouth right there in the church, nor indeed could I stop laughing until well after I had made my way out of the building and onto the street.
The next week, my friend Ray came along with me (as indeed he has each of the subsequent weeks), and I had told him about this exchange from the week before. At the end of the night, we were on our way out, when:
Jordan: "Bless you both, guys."
Me: "Now, cut that out!"
Ray: "Not that we don't appreciate the thought..."
Me: "...the underlying sentiment, if you will..."
Ray: "...but save it for someone who needs it..."
Me: "...or indeed, someone for whom it would be in any way meaningful."
That seems to have broken him of this habit, as it has not recurred in subsequent visits.
Before my first appearance there some five weeks back, I had spoken to the fellow in charge of the operation; a young man named Jordan, and had identified myself to him as "Dave, the atheist fellow who voulenteered there a few years back. Carl, who was running the show back then will remember me." So, while I had no interest in making an issue of my atheism or beating anyone over their heads with it, it was nevertheless out there so far as Jordan was concerned.
The first night went very well, and at the end of the evening as I was gathering up my gear from the church office where it had been locked up for safe-keeping, Jordan and I had a brief conversation on the topic.
Jordan: "Well, thanks for coming out. You're a really hard worker!"
Me: "Well, you know, I came here to work. What's the point in coming out if I'm not going to give it my all, right?"
Jordan: "Well, thanks. We really appreciate it."
Me: "I know you and I come at this from really different places, but the end result is the same. For my own part, I figure we're all alone in this great big universe, and nobody's going to help us but each other, and since we've only got this one shot at it, we owe it to ourselves and each other to make it as good as we can for all of us, you know?"
Jordan: "Well, bless you."
And that moment was so perfectly, perfectly absurd, in light of what I had just said, I could not contain a full-throated gale of laughter from erupting from my mouth right there in the church, nor indeed could I stop laughing until well after I had made my way out of the building and onto the street.
The next week, my friend Ray came along with me (as indeed he has each of the subsequent weeks), and I had told him about this exchange from the week before. At the end of the night, we were on our way out, when:
Jordan: "Bless you both, guys."
Me: "Now, cut that out!"
Ray: "Not that we don't appreciate the thought..."
Me: "...the underlying sentiment, if you will..."
Ray: "...but save it for someone who needs it..."
Me: "...or indeed, someone for whom it would be in any way meaningful."
That seems to have broken him of this habit, as it has not recurred in subsequent visits.