Passport renewal sucked me into the post office (keyword: sucked). To be legal, passport photos must be taken by professionals trained to make you look like a felon.

Jerry, the happy post office guy, takes two pictures in case the first doesn't work. He explained as much between snaps, dusting lint from my collar the way Mom used to do before I moved out and was crushed by the weight of the world.

I'm not sure what happened between the two photographs, but it seems that I was taken by the spirit of our Lord ...

Who was this happy post office guy, and does he understand the power of his touch?

With some doing, I prevailed upon Jerry to submit my second photo. He warned that it might be rejected by the government, but I did not back down ... God was on my side.