Fr. Don's Daily Reflection - March 22, 2022
Psalm 62: “In you alone is my soul at rest. My help comes from you.”
“I” in this piece refers to a Catholic priest using a cane and not wearing a Roman collar. RH stands for “ride-hailing”, the service whereby you use an app to call from a smart phone, give your destination and soon have a driver and car. Items below are reported from a two-week February stay in San Francisco.
On a rainy Monday morning I use a cable car back and forth to another spot. Lots of umbrellas out while all I have is a rain hat and a heavy sweater which suffices for a two-block walk. At the coffee shop Betty is still the manager after many years and calls to the barista to start a "double grande latte with an extra shot of espresso" and asks me if I’d like a raisin bran muffin. Another longtime barista who has kept a very sober mien all this time says to me, "I was just thinking of you; funny how the person then appears." At 8 AM it is still fairly dark, the lights in buildings and on cars all reflected and glistening in the water are beautiful. In the coffee shop I pray Psalm 30 on my iPhone.
Coming alone later into a packed, informal restaurant, full of the sounds of young people laughing, etc., (this is the financial district after 5:30 PM) the hostess, Sarena, whom I remember from last year is taking me to my seat. I tell her that she had better take my arm to make sure I am not knocked over by some rambunctious young person. The other hostess says to me as we move away: "Don't forget; she's mine." Before coming to San Francisco for a couple weeks I was a bit worried about mounting a cable car. I did it quite easily by grabbing two posts and pulling myself up. The grip man remembers my name and that I am from Minnesota or Minnetonka; he doesn't distinguish. He tells me that he came in second this year in the bell ringers contest. Boyrun is very friendly; we’re both happy to renew our acquaintance.
On Sunday morning I take RH to Caffé Greco. My driver is David from Guatemala who also does Lyft. Staffing the coffee shop are three standbys: Jorge, Miguel and Carlito, the latter carries on a high-energy and humorous patter while making lattes. The three call me, as usual, Tio. My RH driver to my lodgings is Loman, an immigrant from China and a bit reluctant to try his English.
Psalm 27: “I believe I shall see the Lord’s goodness / in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong; / be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord!”
