My friend Rick shares that he’s preparing for a cross-country move. He was experiencing frustration and sadness until he had an encouraging conversation with his cab driver, whom he discovered is named Michael Emmanuel (a name that translates as Who Is Like God? God Is With Us!”).
This odd blessing of “incidence” ? I don’t call it coincidence anymore– reminds me of something that happened to me a couple of days ago. I have learned that unexpected appearances of enso (the Zen circle) work as a sign of God’s presence in my life, kind of like a smile or pat on the back.
Monday night, I found myself brimming over with enthusiasm as I was driving home. When stopped at a red light, I saw enso right in front of me.(It had been a while since I experienced enso.) This enso was actually in the taillight of a car in front of me. As it started up when the light turned green, I read the license plate. It was GVTHANKS.
So here’s a koan:
Q: Who is like God?
A: God is with us!