Oh My, I'm Real!

I belong to the Psalm music email list - where very erudite and knowledgeable people talk about Orthodox music. On that list, because I'm so very ignorant about Orthodox music, I'm very quiet. I'm there to learn and I post only when I actually understand the discussion and can contribute, or have a question. And since the level of discussion tends to be above my head most of the time, that means I don't post much at all.

Unless they know me through some other context, none of the members of that list are aware that I write, or that I'm published (I'm sure most of them have no clue who I am at all, in fact or that I exist, which is fine. I don't know most of them exist either). The writing is not something I talk about on that list, because I don't have any reason to say anything about my work.

One of the members spent some time in the last few weeks at a monastery in California. He had a great time, apparently, and he posted photos on flickr. Since I like the guy (on line) and I'm interested in monasteries, I took a look.

He took photos of everything, including the bookstore. Which just happened to have a copy of my book on display, and it looks like a whole stack more on the shelves behind the display. I was thrilled! It's the first time that I've ever seen the book outside a direct connection to me. Our church bookstore carries it, St. Herman's carries it, friends and family have bought it, and Holy Transfiguration carries it - but I'm connected to all of them. It shows up in my orbit because things like that do.

But to see it displayed in a completely foreign place that has no connection to me at all was really cool.

As good as the news that an acquaintance gave me today when she made the connection between me and the book in her church's bookstore in Edinburgh, and said that it was really popular.

It's neat, it's a blessing, it is so good that I get bits like this every so often. God is good.