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Last night I was out late showing homes to clients: a blue-eyed, brunette Anglo female from Toledo and her Asian husband. He's very reserved, and she's...well, not so much. One of the homes that we were going to preview was a little heavy-handed with the use of the crucifix as part of the home decor. This prompted "Ann" (as I'll call her), to ask me if I went to church. Her husband tried to stop her from the back seat, and for whatever reason our conversation took another course before I could answer. Still, at the time I knew that her reason for asking was not a profession of faith - prior conversations had established that they were both Buddhist.

Later in the evening, as we were nearing their home to wrap up the evening, Ann asked me if I wore contacts. I don't - but I used the question to answer her question about my spiritual proclivity. I told her that I was diagnosed with Childhood (or Juvenile) Glaucoma at the age of 11, and that I was supposed to be blind by the time I was sixteen. I also told her about seeing specialists in California who confirmed the diagnosis, and that there was little that could be done to prevent the onset of the disease. Aware that I still had the use of my eyesight, she asked me what had happened to correct the impairment. I told her matter-of-factly that God had healed me. That my parents had prayed over me, that on our next trip to the doctor he had a shocked expression on his face and no explanation for the fact that my vision had been corrected (to the degree that I had vision that exceeded 20/20). She said that was cool, and that she believed in the focus of positive energy (no matter what the source) to heal. From there we dropped the subject, signed some paperwork, and nothing more was said before I left.

When I got home I got an email from Ann.

Listen, I really want to apologize for any negative comments I may have made to you about religion... You told me that story about your eyesight, and my heart just fell to the floor...along with my ego :( I think that what you told me is truly beautiful and amazing...

I guess that I hear so many bad things about religion in the media, etc. that I tend to forget the wonderful things that it can bring...

I know you and I joke about our political differences, but I just hope I have never hit a sore spot with you... I tend to speak before I think, and it's stories like yours that really put me back in my place. That's a good thing :)

I responded:

No apology necessary, and no frowns either. I don't know what you could say to offend me, but I know that it wouldn't involve my spirituality or my political leanings. I embrace diversity of spirit, and as I told your husband tonight, one of the things that I enjoy most about my job is getting to know new people.

As for my spirituality, for what it's worth, I do make a distinction between religion and spirituality. Religion (all forms) is humanity's failed attempt at putting God in a box. Spirituality seems to loosely define what cannot be explained, outside of a profession of belief. Religion did not heal my eyesight, God did. And not a distant God that can be defined as a supernatural power or a positive energy or an earth mother, but my Creator. He knows who I am, what my needs are, what my desires are, because He made me.

I don't usually make a profession of faith with my clients, because I don't want to make them feel uncomfortable or forced upon. Nor do I want to be associated as a right-wing zealot, or pigeon-holed as a member of the Religious Right. But to answer your initial question: yes, I do go to church. It doesn't define who I am or what I believe, but I go to church for the same reason I'm in real estate - it gives me an opportunity to fellowship with people that I might not otherwise know, and I think that I benefit from interacting with them, and I hope that they benefit from interacting with me. Mere interaction is not enough in and of itself, but it can lead to relationships, and I believe that God uses relationships to save people from themselves.

Anyway, I just wanted to write and let you know that you didn't offend me in any way. I don't want you to feel as if you need to censor yourself in my presence, nor do you have to walk on eggshells. Keep being yourself, even when you're afraid that it may not fit within my construct. You aren't defined by my perception of you, so don't sweat it.

I appreciate the concern, the gesture. It's a reflection of your good nature and compassionate heart.

My answer was a little on the safe side, and I realize that, but when faith and business collide the aftershocks can be disruptive. My main intent in sharing this at all is out of an admission that the blog has been a little weak of late. Every day my friend Dan Eames used to ask me "Who have you witnessed to today?" I know it doesn't happen enough, but this is my answer for yesterday.