The future's not ours to see.

Monday morning rolled around this week, and I decided to grab a cup of coffee at the Panera down the road while I caught up on some reading.

I sat down at my table, arranged all my books and turned on my mp3 player, more out of habit than any other reason.

Deeply engrossed in a chapter about motivating and empowering volunteers, I looked up to see a blond-haired woman in a pink t-shirt and yoga pants standing at my table. She had her hand on the back of one of the four chairs; I assumed she wanted to borrow one, so I just took out one side of my headphones and said Hello.

She reciprocated the greeting, and then sat down. I had noticed her when I arrived - she had been sitting at a booth near me with who I assume is her husband, enjoying a cup of coffee.

I took out the other ear piece, very intrigued as to what was going to happen next. She said she was sorry to bother me, but she was really curious as to how I was able to read and take notes while listening to music. I shrugged my shoulders and explained that the background noise of the Panera microphone and the kids yelling in the mall on their way to swimming lessons were more distracting than a little music.

We continued to converse about the way my generation consumes many types of media at once, why we like to multitask, and whether it really hinders or helps our productivity.

Her eye caught my orange Campus Crusade for Christ book bag, and she asked what I was studying. A book for work, I replied, and the Bible. She lifted her chin and sighed. She shared with me that her son is constantly reading his Bible and talking about church stuff. He's 14. Her face showed obvious concern, and she explained: "I wonder sometimes, what will he grow up to be someday if the only thing he likes to study is the Bible?"

We talked for another minute, and then she was gone as quickly as she appeared at my table.

She thinks her son's hobby is very odd. I think it's odd that she thinks it's odd. And I think that kid is pretty special. His whole future is ahead of him, but whatever happens, he's already having an impact on others around him.