Teriyaki Prayer

Another day of a sweet unexpected surprise. I suppose though, if I expected sweetness, it wouldn't be a surprise when it it showed up.

Almost a regular day, it started out with dogs. Laying in bed, I was surrounded by warm bodies and peering, pleading, big brown soupy eyes. "Puuuuhhhhleeeazzzee get up. We are awake. We want to eat. We HAVE TO PEEEEE! and if you are not careful, we have no qualms about peeing on the floor. At all. Ever."

Somehow I convinced two enormous Rodesian Ridgebacks and my dog Coltrane, that more cuddling was needed. It really wasn't a tough sell. Bunch of sappy cuddle bunnies, they are. One Ridgeback by my feet and another off to my right, Coltrane came in for the prime space. I was laying on my back and he got up to lay his front paws and face on my stomach. He was situated so that I could easily scratch him. He could look right into my eyes and tell me that this was a perfect moment. He was warm, happy and getting scratched behind his ears. Yummy. He yawned with a laziness that only can be translated as pure bliss. Eventually, one of the Ridgebacks got up and stood on the bed, hovering over us, sniffing Coltrane. Any other dog in the world would growl over his mistress. Not Coltrane. He knows he is there to share the Ridgeback's home with me and that he is sharing me. Amazing.

Eventually we got our blissful butts out of bed for peeing, breakfast and out the door to walk. We went to Greenlake, where it was actually a beautiful day. It was warm and the sun was out and the sky was actually blue! There were tons of people there, all out to enjoy the benefits of friends, walking, running and biking. Don't forget all those walking their dogs! Tons and tons of dogs! And puppies. Nothing stops you in your tracks faster than an eight week old yellow lab named Jake. He was dragging his 7 year old misstress around the lake, smelling EVERYTHING, greeting EVERYONE and his tail wagging excitedly the whole time. When he met us, his wiggle butt scared the big Ridgebacks, but Coltrane just sniffed him and Jake sat down. Jake hung out for a minute, took it quietly in and then dashed off, dragging his little owner behind him. She didn't seem to mind.

We made our way around, running into Vegas and Carmen, a silly Golden Retriever and a wicked smart black lab, respectively. We said our hellos to them, their baby and their owner. Moving along, we bumped into folks who we had dogsat for, met their babies and moved along. We ran into Janet Horton (Jane's sister in law) where she explained that she had lost her dog Lucky just after Christmas and her boyfriend of 3 1/2 years broke up with her shortly after. Shitty. But here's the thing, and I told her this, "Janet, I am really sorry that happened. But honestly, you feel pretty good to me. You have a clean slate, no restrictions. This is a great opportunity. I am excited for you!" She mostly agreed and said that it was how she reacted to it that mattered. Good to run into her and I am excited for her, in spite of her loss. Her losses are actually a huge gift.

After that, we moved quickly back to the car, hopped in and hit the road. I was hungry and thought of Yosuko's on Greenlake. It wasn't very far and chicken and rice sounded good. Simple sounded wonderful. So did cheap. The drive was quick and just as I was about ready to look for a spot, I noticed the Closed sign. I thought it was weird for mid afternoon on a Saturday and as I drove past, noticed the chairs and tables were gone. The spirit of the place was empty. It was closed permanently. Bummer deal. Ahh well, I will find something closer to the Ridgeback's house. And I did.

Toshio's Teriyaki was right on the corner of Massachusetts and Rainier. I have been driving past this place twice a day for three days and today I NOTICE it. Well, teriyaki was on my mind and this was on the way home. It was a dingy looking spot from the outside, but since I subscribe to the "hole in the walls have the best food" mentality, I was game.

Walking into the ENTRANCE, it was a small room with a couple of chairs to pass through before you walked into the main room. In this little room were hand written Bible verses. Some verses spoke of patience, some of courage and of faith. Most were scribed in English, but then translated into other languages, like Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Spanish and others that I have no idea. Wow. The energy in this place was soft and the faces were kind. They took debit cards and put to go orders in containers made of compostables (for an extra ten cents)

I scanned the upper parts of the walls, with more verses:

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in the time of need." -Hebrew 4:16

On Patience: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith" -Galatians 5:22

"But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." -Romans 8:25

"Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud of spirit. Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools." -Ecclesiastes 7:8,9

It is just a few of the many. How inspiring. How different. Usually scripture outside of a church for me feels fake or pushed onto me. This display of faith and belief held a softness for me and a beautiful meaning. This teriyaki shop was adding its love and thankfulness and faith to the whole space, as well as the food.

As I waited for my food, I explored. I read all of the verses I could. Noticed a beautiful painting and an explanation of its inspiring artist.

http://www.myhero.com/myhero/hero.asp?hero=TomihiroHoshino

I had made it out to the foyer, when the owner came in, to refill the pamphlets that were now gone form their pockets. Pamphlets on Courage, Faith, Patience and Fear. Her name is Yoko Wang. She is a beautiful Japanese woman of indeterminable age. She shines. I mentioned to her how wonderful I thought this place was, how much I liked the verses on the wall.

Yoko began telling me that she likes to minister, that she believes that every Christian is a minister of the faith. She talked of how she married her husband and she wasn't Christian. Every day, he prayed for her to believe. He prayed for seven years. Every day. Yoko, after seven years finally answered her husband's prayer. She said, "It took me seven years, but now I am the one who is the most excited about telling everyone!"

I told her I liked the article on the wall, the one that is titled, "Jesus, Teriyaki and Bicycles" by Howard Strickler. Yoko asked me why. I told her I hadn't read the entire piece, but one sentence caught my eye. "I left that place knowing I would heal and I did."

"Do you want it?" she asked me. "Oh sure, if you have a copy that would be great." Yoko took the copy off the wall, telling me she had another in the back to replace it. I was grateful and excited, while I mentioned how wonderful this place made me feel. I told her how I appreciated the verses on the wall and how they were translated. Yoko's response made me well up. She said, "I understand that everyone is different. Everyone does things a different way. Everyone must accept one another's differences. It is what makes us beautiful."

Tears started streaming down my face. Her words were exactly what I needed to hear in that very beautiful moment. Yoko looked at me and asked, "How can I help you? Is there something that I can help you with? Can you tell me something, and I can pray for you?"

When a kind heart looks you straight in the eye and offers help, resistance is futile and foolish. I told her that I had come to a place in my life that I didn't know which direction to go. Do I wait? Do I go forward? If so, which way is the best? How do I know? I don't know.

She took my order to go from my hands, setting it down on a chair. She took my pamphlets and writing piece from the wall and set them on a ledge. She walked through the door and came back with a tissue to dry my tears and nose. She watched me fix my nose and put down the tissue saying, "Let's pray." She placed her right hand on my shoulder, her left hand up in the air. My left hand went to her waist and my right mirrored hers in the air. I didn't have to say anything I just listened.

I heard Yoko pray for me. Yoko prayed to God that he would give me strength and that through his wisdom and his path for me would show me the way through vision, through dreams, through a sign to lead me down the path. She told God that I was having trouble finding my way and to help me. She asked God to lead me, so that I might follow the light and my heart on the right path.

I have never in my life had anyone pray with me, for me and do it with such reverence, strength and beauty. She might be small in stature, but she is big in heart. And Faith.

During "our" prayer I felt her strong energy coursing through me, giving me peace. After the last Hallelujah I told her Thank you so much. I hugged her. Yoko pointed out that part of God's answer, his path for me was bringing me here today. "It was not an accident that you arrived here today." "Normally," she said, "I am very busy with no time to spare. Today I wasn't busy. It is not an accident."

I believe her. Today I was reaffirmed that good spirits and beautiful angels walk this world with all of us. You must pay attention, or you will miss a golden opportunity to share something beautiful with a complete stranger.

I found a phrase that sums up this moment, "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgving let your requests be made known to God." -Philippians 4:6

Yoko made a request to help me find my way and I think everyone was listening.