The Story Where God Snubs Andy Warhol

1. It wasn't the first time God spoke to me. Nor would it be the last. It was just the first time I realized it was Him speaking to me.
2. And it was definitely the first time I had the wherewith all to pay attention, make mental notes and ask questions.
3. I sat in the black wicker chair by the window, looking down over the streets of San Francisco. It was past midnight, and the amount of activity below had died down considerably.
4. God sat a comfortable distance away in my chair's twin.
5. He looked at me with a sincere, blissful smile upon his face. The small spaces between each tooth of his dreamy grin were filled with a contentment I longed for.
6. I had just put out a cigarette and re-lit another one in a single, consistent motion. I must have had an apologetically guilty expression on my face after the first drag, because God's smile got brighter and He said,
7. "Oh feel free to chain-smoke. Here, I'll join you."
8. And without hesitation He took a cigarette from his own pack, held it between His thin fingers, kissed the flame to the tip and inhaled regretlessly.
9. I immediately felt less guilty. He's quite good at making me feel that.
10. It was a bit unnerving to realize you're sitting in a room with God.
11. He stood up and walked to the shelf by the doorway. He removed a cd without even looking at it.
12. "I think you'll like this."
13. He put the cd in the stereo and raised the volume. And we began listening to audio sessions of The Beatles' making of the song "Strawberry Fields Forever."
14. Yes, God is a huge Beatles fan. He spoke for hours about John and Yoko, the inspiration behind certain songs, facts and trivia. God knew everything about The Beatles.
15. I took the opportunity to ask any questions I had and He gladly answered them all.
16. Previous to this moment, I always imagined that if I ever had the opportunity to talk to God, I would have a list of esoteric questions about life, death and everything in between.
17. When you are in the presence of God, all of those thoughts are lost. It can't help but be anything except His moment. And your heart wouldn't want it any other way.
18. My mind wanted to know answers, but my heart just wanted to be with Him. I was content with hearing Him tell His stories.
19. He told me of different lives he had seen. Art He loved and appreciated. He loved art. It seemed to bring more joy to his face than any other subject.
20. And most specifically, The Beatles.
21. "Do you hear how raw that sounds?"
22. I nodded. Although it sounded like a criticism, the look on his face showed anything but.
23. "They recorded this in a basement. You can really appreciate this after hearing the final version."
24. Staring at the cd player, I said "It sounds so different."
25. "To some. But to Me, I can hear everything that this song was going to be."
26. Tears began to overwhelm my eyes. He was right.
27. "The journey is just as beautiful as the destination," I said.
28. "Exactly.
29. It's just like this city. In the 80's, San Francisco was a wonderful city, but it looked awful. That was during the A.I.D.S. scare. Everyone had it. You could see death walking around the street. Tourism stopped. It was awful.
30. But you knew deep down it wouldn't stay this way. And it didn't.
31. It's beautiful and thriving now. Not as much as it did in the 60's or 70's, but it will again one day.
32. I'd love to see an art-wave hit San Francisco again. Like an artist commune. It needs an Andy Warhol."
33. I thought for a second and said, "Yeah, kind of like what Lady Gaga does."
34. "Who?" He asked.
35. "Lady Gaga!" I screamed excitedly. "You have to know who she is."
36. "Tell me about her."
37. Whether He knew who she was or not, it was clear I was excited to talk about her, so He let me. Every bit of passion He felt when talking about The Beatles, I reciprocated by describing Lady Gaga's artistry, innovation and talent. I even showed Him a video of her live performance.
38. His jaw dropped and he smiled.
39. "She's fantastic. Maybe there is hope for the world."
40. I did tell Him that I feared for the World at times.
41. "Don't. I have faith in people. And you should too."
42. At this moment the cd was playing it's last track, the final version of "Strawberry Fields Forever." We both sat there, with the night air slipping in through the window.
43. When the song ended He got up and put a new cd in the stereo.
44. "Let's smoke one more. This song will be a good way to end the night."
45. As I lit my cigarette, Billie Holiday began singing.
46. "It's quarter to three
47. There's no one in the place except you and me
48. So set 'em up Joe, I've got a little story you oughta know
49. Make it one for my baby
50. And one more for the road."
51. "You want to hear a story about Andy Warhol?"
52. I nodded frantically.
53. "Once back in the 80's I was in a bar in New York. I was dressed all punk. I had rips in my jeans, a safety pin in my ear. I looked like I belonged in that city.
54. It was crowded and next to me stood an old man with dirty white hair, sunglasses and an old overcoat. He turned and looked at me and said, 'I like your look.'
55. I turned to him and said, 'Um, I don't think so.' Then I ashed my cigarette and turned my back to him."
56. I stared in disbelief.
57. "Hold on there's more. After a minute, he and his group of people were seated at their table. A few minutes after that, one of the women in his group approached me at the bar and said, 'Excuse me, but Andy would like to speak to you.'
58. 'Who's Andy?' I asked.
59. 'Andy Warhol,' she replied dryly."
60. He either chuckled at the story or the look on my face. I felt my stomach drop as if I had been the one to diss Andy Warhol and then get escorted to his table.
61. "She led me over to Andy's table and indicated a chair next to him. I sat down. He looked at me and smiled and said, 'I can't remember the last time someone didn't know who I was and blew me off. Thank you. It was refreshing.'"
62. God and I laughed hard together.
63. He looked at me and smiled.
64. "I guess one man's faux pas is another man's..."
65. "Epiphany," He concluded.
66. "It's just like Billie. You can feel her pain and longing in her songs. But it's so beautiful."
67. As I got ready to sleep that night, I realized that God doesn't intervene the way we expect. We pray for Him to immediately step in and change the way life is.
68. He knows better.
69. He shows up and redirects us, so the we can get what we want.
70. He sees how beautiful our lives will be at the end, even when we are at the beginning, or even stuck in the middle.
71. He can turn any situation into the right situation.
72. He gave Andy Warhol a pivitol moment of clarity by being rude to him.
73. And He gave me a pivitol moment of clarity by being my friend.
74. He said everything I needed to hear. He was passing the torch. He was inspiring me to take the next step in life.
75. As I left the room, He was singing along to the end of Billie's song:
76. "Thanks for the cheer
77. I hope you don't mind my bending your ear
78. But this torch that I've found, it's gotta be drowned
79. Or it's gonna explode
80. Make it one for my baby
81. And one more for the road."