I was blessed this morning by Rev. Joseph Bléa, playing his guitar and harmonica at the Oakland Civic Center BART station. It was a perfect time to be blessed; hobbling on my crutches, my spirit flagging. Joseph had stopped playing by the time the surge of commuters had passed him by. But as is my habit with BART buskers playing early morning music, I dropped a bill into his guitar case anyway. At which point he asked me if I would like to hear a new song; and he launched into a delightful poem, accompanied by guitar and harmonica. Which song I rewarded by a larger bill; he straightaway rewarded me with a copy of his CD “Death of a Hippie” dedicated to his brother, sister-in-law and two nephews all killed in a tragic car accident near Mojave, California by a man driving 100 mph, fueled with alcohol and heroin.
The CD cover has a demand that the rock music be played loudly. Joseph- the rock is so cranked through my PC speakers while I am writing this piece!! The cover shows a comet fueled by methane, naptha and other gases, painted by Diane Bléa.
I was blessed by Rev. Bléa when I dropped yet another bill into his case. I was happy to – although homeless, wifeless, carless, he was not without spirit, laughter, wit and humanity. He made my morning; my spirit was uplifted by a gracious stranger.