Today a strange little woman visited our parish church. She was a member of another denomination and was at first very timid and withdrawn. When a woman parishioner offered her a piece of blessed bread after Communion--the traditional Orthodox welcoming "sign"--she refused to accept it. She also gave a gentle cold shoulder to another woman who helped her understand how coffee hour worked by not sitting with the woman at her table but passing her over for "someone better." When she found what she thought she was looking for, she opened up like a Venus Fly Trap, chattering about her career like she was attending a business seminar. When the two women she had previously snubbed said good-bye to her she brushed them off with a quick "Okay." Who was this unmasked bandit? On second thought I don't think I want to know. Moral: If you come back, be nice, accept the bread, and stop networking.
