The sign of the cross, quad style

There are times when I pass the church in town and the bells go off. Often I stop to make the sign of the cross and pray and because of my hand and arm impairment, I suppose it's not clear to people what I'm doing.

I don't care. God knows what I'm doing. However it does lead to some humorous incidents.

One passerby thought I was trying to get something off my glasses and offered to help. Since my glasses were dirty, I took her up on it. Another asked if I'd lost my keys. And , no, I wasn't even wearing a lanyard.

Today I stopped and made the sign of the cross, quad style. A woman passing by smiled. I smiled back. "What a wonderful idea," she said.

I was thrilled that she could figure out what I was doing. "Yes," I said. "I make the sign of the cross and say a prayer whenever I'm passing by and the bells ring."

"Oh," she said, her face falling. "I thought you were sitting there charging your chair up and were trying to plug it in."

I have no idea where she got that from, but she was right about one thing - I do find those moments of prayer charge me up spiritually.