tikkun olam

In my first hour at work yesterday, I received a strange phone call from an innocuous-sounding lady who told me I had helped her once and she really appreciated it, and asked would I be in for the rest of the day. I worked until close yesterday, and decided it would be ok to tell her so.

So, minutes turn into hours, etc. and Lo, just as I'm about to head out for lunch a coworker directs me to a lady caller: she looks about in her early 40s, white turtleneck and a floral-print vest. Slight resemblance to Diane Keaton. She has a white plastic bag in her hand, looks like a book inside. She says, "Are you Joshua?"

me: Yes? [quizzical expression]
Mysterious Lady: You helped me once, and I really appreciated it, and I'll never forget it.
me: [placating look, becoming suspicious as she brings the bag into view]
ML: I belong to Hadassah, and I was talking to the LORD, and he told me to give you this. [hands me the bag]
me: Oh...?!

So I take the bag, say "thank you" and after she offers to write a note to my managers saying it's a gift so they don't think I'm stealing, we politely & amiably take our leaves of each other. Later I look into the bag, and it's a novelization of the Bible. I fervently hope there's an inscription inside, but there is none. After briefly considering selling it to HPB for $1.25, I decided it's worth much more than that not only as a story to tell people, but in essence, what I have here, now, is a holy relic of some kind. Divinely ordained, that I might have it. I'm not making light of it, really -- I think it is fascinating that somebody acted on what they felt was divine guidance, and that act was to give me, Josh, a book. The world is indeed an endlessly interesting place.