The Columbus among us

I thought that e-mail to the Memphis Muslim Association was worded quite eloquently, if I do say so myself. "While I know Christians and Muslims disagree about many things, I believe we pray to the same Creator, and I wish to attend one of your worship services, so I can better understand how you approach the Creator."

I don't know! I'm doing the best I can here! Oddly, it's not the easiest thing in the world to contact Muslim clerics directly in Memphis, TN. Go figger that one! Thought the stuff I said about "your cousin in the great faith" was pretty good. That may cause some head scratching on the other end, but I see it like this. I'm a Christian, and I'm wrong about some stuff. All Christians are wrong about some stuff. They're Muslims, and they're wrong about some stuff too.
Well, Christians and Muslims probably disagree on a level comparable to that of Pentecostals and Catholics. We're cousins, all of us who believe there is but one God. I mean Hindus? God bless them, and they're mostly fine folks I bet, but they're over there in India, ankle deep in gods, godesses, and cow shit. Jews, Christians and Muslims are cousins in the great desert faith where the wind can get mad and sandstorms can strip the hide off a camel, and where burning bushes tell you to go do what you don't want to do actually. We cousins have that, the belief in the one God.

Maybe I'll get a response. I don't know. They might not want their "cousin" at the prayer service.

Some adventures are designed and some are forced upon us. The other e-mail was about getting paperwork straight so I can go be a College student again. How charming! Not like I've ever attended College classes, so this should be exciting and exotic! Well it could be worse. I could be signing up for bagpipe lessons! How does one tune one of those things, I wonder? Oh yeah, I remember. When bagpipes sound in tune, they must be discarded and a new set procured.

So I'm 52 years old, and I'm about to go back to College, this time studying Electrical Engineering. That because it's the hardest thing I can think of. I don't really like the thought of studying stuff what can't be seen with the naked eye.

Well. Columbus was a misunderstood figure, and perhaps a dandy bagpipes player, who knows? Sometimes we sail to new horizons because they look interesting, and we need to see ourselves in other latitudes. Other times we sail because we can't stay where we are, don't feel welcome anymore.

I reckon none of my ancestors came to this country on a lark. Not like I have to brave Atlantic storms in a leaky wooden boat or anything. I'm 52 and going back to College, when I REALLY kinda thought I already did that! And just like Columbus, I may start thinking I'll discover one thing, and discover something entirely different. That bagpipes thing though, sounds really cool! Great thing about an instrument like that, if you can't play it worth a damn, who can tell?