Advent draws near its end. Up ahead, Christmas Day sparkles like a tree in a family room.

           I am happy to report that, during this Advent, I received a unique and humous blessing.

           It unfolded in a country church where I was hearing confession prior to a Saturday evening Mass. Since the church lacked a confessional, I administered the sacrament inside a small cry room.

          This is not an unusual occurrence, and I felt no need to be especially observant. Yet, as any church custodian would recommend, yellow signs declaring, “Caution. Children at Play,” should rightly posted outside parish cry rooms and nurseries.

           This became apparent to me in the sacristy following the Mass which followed the Confessions. As I removed my vestments while chatting with the sacristan, I discovered that I was unable to pull my alb (the white robe beneath the outer chasuble) over my shoulders and across my head. I tugged and tugged, then realized that the alb was stuck to the seat of my pants.

           “What the heck?” I muttered.

           I ended the conversation with the sacristan then lumbered to the semi-privacy of a nearby hallway. There, upon further inspection, I discovered, between the inner surface of my alb and the outer surface of the seat of my pants, the smashed innards…of a jellybean!

           A red one.

           While hearing confessions, I unknowingly sat on the jellybean which, like a loyal friend, “stuck with me” throughout Mass. Perhaps it even hoped to join me for supper at a restaurant with parishioners after the liturgy.

           After discovering the jellybean, I carried the alb into a restroom where I scraped the gooey substance off the vestment—as best I could—then continued the process on my trousers.  

           The experience was unique and I smile at the memory of it.

Christmas morning won’t find me in a house with wrapping paper on the floor or cries of  “Mom, Charlie took my furby!”

           But at least I’ll have a good dad-story to compete with any dad-jokes at upcoming parties.

           Merry Christmas everyone!