Last night, my beagle Gracie went to her first “yappie hour” with the DC Beagle Meetup Group. For those of you who don’t do the doggie ciruit, a “yappie hour” is really a happy hour, just for dogs AND people.  There are biscuits, AND hors d’oeuvres, and bowls of water all around.

These events are held all over town, sometimes in pet stores, but last night’s gathering took place at the fabulous Hotel Monaco in Alexandria, VA.   Another thing that you probably don’t know if you aren’t that in to dogs is that Alexandria is a great dog town…many of the merchants allow you to bring your dog into their stores; the sidewalk restaurants bring your four-legged baby their own bowl of water; and there is the Hotel Monaco — a complete pet friendly hotel.

So, after the event we decided to take a walk down to the waterfront since the heat wave seemed to finally release its grip on our region.  And what we found only proves that God’s call takes many forms and evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit can be found anywhere.

One the dock, was a table — filled with glasses of water.  And a happy many, busily providing a happy (and large) crowd with a rendition of Beethoven’s Fur Elise played on — yes, the glasses of water.  For those of you who don’t know your Benjamin Franklin, he was playing  “glass harp”.  If you want to see one of his performances, click here.

Now, I love the glass harp.  When I first read about it in the third grade, I made one and played it as part of a history project in class.  Yes, I know, once a nerd always a nerd.  But what was even more interesting was the conversation going on between the glass harpist and the crowd..

Question:  “How did you know you wanted to do this?”

Answer:  “You know, you just have to listen to what God calls you to do.  And this is what I’m called to do…It makes people happy, and it makes me happy.”

Remember Frederich Buechner?  “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

Yes, even if it is a table full of water glasses on a dock in Alexandria.  Our glass harp virtuoso explained to the crowd how everything in his life had brought him to this moment — his work with the symphony (he didn’t say which symphony), the years he spent with a part-time job at Crate and Barrel (which gave him the knowledge to select the right glassware)….

He was very clear — he is on a mission.  And who are we to say that he isn’t?

What I know is that on a warm Alexandria evening, he was surrounded by happy, interested, smiling faces — faces that I’m guessing  were solemn or even troubled (this is Washington, D.C., after all)  just a few minutes before they discovered this unexpected treat by the water.

I think I would say, mission accomplished.