joy from the unexpected

I'm very much heartened today by two events. One is the unexpected visit this morning of a priest, who was a former president of a catholic university in Mindanao, and a well-known peace advocate and peace maker. It was a brief visit. In fact, i even forgot to offer him coffee or a seat! But his gesture of thoughtfulness really touched me. And then, this afternoon, i received a call from a lady who is the founder of an interfaith group promoting nonviolence and a culture of peace. Having discovered the Taoist and the poet in me, she encouraged me to share my spiritual journey and experience both in writing and in actual dialogue with the members of that group. Seemingly, these two events are unrelated. But the simple yet profound joy they gave me are one and the same. It's the same spirit at work.