Tonight I had this revelation as I looked at the word GOD that's painted onto a piece of slate that was traded to me from Yake. It has a sun painted in one corner and says "and GOD smiles" below. The edges are wrapped with wire that act as a frame for hanging. It's one of the pieces hanging in my teeny office gallery. I look at it all of the time, but for some reason I fixated on the GOD tonight. General Official Deity suddenly popped into my mind. It was just one of those thoughts that happens, kind of trying to lead you to what it's all about. I have often wondered where the word GOD came from, what it meant. As I kneeled on the bench in St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church where I attended services each morning before school, I pondered many such things. Looking for the knowledge to publicly inform the masses, looking at my hands clenched tightly beneath my bowed head, looking for a way to get out of church. One day I just didn't go to church when my Mom dropped me off out front. Instead I walked away from the church and down 7th. Street, not sure where I was going, but sure I needed to go. I walked a block south and headed east up Erie Avenue. That's where Lynette lived. I decided I would walk to my classmate Lynette's house. Her Mom didn't make her come to church every morning. She was so lucky. My Mom had to be at work early and always dropped me off on her way. The neighborhood where my school and church were located was mostly Italian with African-Americans mixed in. Lynette was African-American. I was wearing my maroon coduroy raincoat with the plastic lining that was in no way appropriate for the weather. I just liked the way it looked. I can still remember the chilling winter wind blowing against my chapped cheeks, tears running down my face from the cold, as I made the trek to her door. I was curious. I had passed by her house thousands of times in my 11 years of living. I wanted to see inside. I hoped no one I knew would see me and tell my Mom. She would've been angry had she known I was walking out in the cold in that lightweight coat. I rapped on her door when I completed the 6 block journey to her house. When the door opened, Lynette didn't invite me in. She told me to wait a minute, picked up her things, and together we walked back to the school. Years later I rented a house 2 doors up from that house. Still curious, I eventually made my way in as a neighbor of the subsequent owner. It was no big deal, and I guess I realized that day that seeing the inside of Lynette's house was not my ultimate goal. My ultimate goal was ditching church. Now back to the GOD definition. Please realize that this is just a thought, and by no stretch of the imagination an informed opinion. I must say, however, that I do Instant Message. Having IM'd on numerous occasions, I think it would stand to reason that GOD would stand for General Official Deity. General Official Deity may sound like a vague term, but because the variety of believers can encompass such a broad and meaningful spectrum of followers, to refer to it as anything else might become...sticky. While we all, generally speaking, hope to embrace some entity we believe will ultimately guarantee our salvation, what it all boils down to is doing the right thing. Ok, so I've found the meaning of GOD. It isn't paying my mortage. Computer Stuff| Downtown Carrboro Map| Events| Prices| Restaurants| UniqueOrn Enterprises 
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