Is Hell Going to Freeze Over?

I’ve always known this campus is a faith-based endeavor but it’s not an in-your-face kind of Christian denomination so it was easy for me to ignore what that would mean down the road after moving in, especially since there was no Litmus Test to pass to get accepted to live here. Had there been one, declaring that I’m an agnostic would not have put the odds in my favor for living here. I did check the box about not having a church or synagogue affiliation, so they knew that much about me.

At the first Monthly Residents Dialogue Meeting to iron out any issues we might be having the CEO started out by saying, “This is a faith-based campus so we’ll open with a prayer. It was a nice, generic prayer, nothing that could offend anyone of any faith (or no-faith). But---again!---I happened to be sitting next to one of the campus pastors who I met and liked at another event. (She's also signed up for the painting class. Do you think she's really after my soul?) At one point Ms Angel was asked to go up to the microphone and tell a little about her role here and I’m thinking, Ohmygod, am I going to get converted by her kindness when I least expect it? Will hell freeze over and I’ll turn into my favorite cousin?

My cousin is the most devoted do-gooder I know. She’s such a good and compassionate person always helping others, always charitable in her thinking. Same denomination of Christianity as I’m now living among and if I’m going to get converted at least I won’t be selling flowers on a street corner and pleasuring the cult leader when my younger sister-wives have their periods. Or am I getting the Moonies mixed up with the Mormons? Doesn't matter. I won't be pleasuring anyone but I make no promises about not selling flowers. I used to be a florist, after all and I could start painting them. One never knows.

The another woman at the meeting stepped forward to speak about a Champagne Reception being held, an inaugural event for women who “care about philanthropy, education, community partnerships and building social networks.” I will not be joining that group but it shows the caliber of women I’m surrounded by. Next week the campus is having what they’re calling, “A Week of Giving, with different opportunities to help the community every day.” I might have to join something that week to atone for a few sins I may have committed but conveniently can’t remember now…just in case there is a scoreboard with someone or something keeping track of such things. One day they'll be working at a place that makes Lavender Comfort Bunnies to give to kids going into the social services system and to dementia patients.

I finally got a neighbor living next door. She is on the Arts Council here and has been busy with a select group that is putting up original pieces of art in our public areas. I didn’t even know we have an arts council. When I asked how she got on the council she replied, “I was asked.” She’s not an artist herself, but I figure she must be somebody in our local art scene to be tasked with curating art for our walls. The CCC had our resumes` to glean life experiences from and I suspect her being asked also had to do with her checking the 'yes' box about wanting to do volunteer work on campus where I wrote 'maybe' in between the yes/no boxes. (Oops, I should have been more decisive.) The council's got a budget that has allowed them to buy some choice pieces from our city’s world famous Art Prize competitors.

I found out about this ‘secret-to-me' society by raving about the large painting that just went up in my hallway (image above) and my neighbor, Scottie-Dog’s Mom, said she chose it. Her Scottie reminds me of Levi---hence the nickname---and I was happy to see them move in last week. He’s a butter ball which seems to be true of all the dogs I’ve met here. One of them has a stroller that she rides the halls in and doesn’t get taken out until she’s across the street. That’s what I would have done with Levi to prevent accidents only before he died I was training him to ride in my grocery wagon.

There’s a Christian book club on campus and a secular book club. I joined the latter. And ohmygod if this wasn't a post loosely about spiritual growth and possible conversions I'd get snitty about something someone in book club at an earlier gathering. Let's just say that the Gossip Train has arrived on campus and The Engineer had a wicked gleam in her eyes as she repeated gossip that could leave a trail of little fires in its wake like grinding wheels on trains have been known to do along the tracks. Yes, I've found the first person to go on my Hell-No-We-Can't-Be-Friends list.  ©