Tissue?

Saturday night we went to a meet 'n greet for a new church we've been checking out. Apparently the other churches in town have tired of me asking "When do you bring out the snakes?" Thus we're diligently looking for a church home where we can meet some new people, get a good cup of coffee on Sunday morning, and get out of the parking lot quickly. Oh, and worship. That, too.

This meeting was at the pastor's house, and the goal was simply for him to introduce some fundamentals about the church and introduce us to some key figures. We started by going around and saying something about ourselves. Erin started to explain that we had met in Indianapolis almost 10 years ago and some other random data when I interrupted and said, "We're the couple with the Chinese kid and the black kid." Immediately you could hear the "Ahhs" and "That Grant is so cute." Erin's method was sort of like having a third eye and introducing yourself by saying that you like walks in the park and sunsets. Might as well go with the obvious.

After Erin and I introduced ourselves, the gentleman next to me began to speak, and almost immediately he teared up.

Now make no mistake, dear readers. I am in no way making fun of this gentleman. He had a touching story, and he was a genuinely nice guy. The issue at hand is all mine.

How do you react when you don't know the individual crying or anyone else in the room? If I'd have been sitting across the room from him, I'd probably have been analyzing my fingernails or occasionally nodding. Instead, I'm sitting right next to the guy and all eyes are aimed in my general direction. Do I give the guy I've never met a hug? Do I pretend that he's not emotional and just get up for more food? Do I feign a sudden nosebleed? It was all very awkward. I felt like I was at a funeral for somebody I'd never met.

The rest of the evening went fine. I didn't accidentally stain the carpet or ask any offensive questions, so Erin considered it a success. But I still left feeling weird. Maybe on Sunday I'll ask the guy if he needs to talk or if I can bring him a casserole next Tuesday night. That would be the church thing to do.