Exchanging
pop cans for a lesson
34
Then
the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are
blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world; 35
for
I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36
I
was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of
me, I was in prison and you visited me.
After
finishing a sweaty Zumba workout at church, I headed to the Kroger on
Kercheval to recycle a collection of soft drink cans. When I headed
down the steps into the recycling center, a man was already settled
in at one of the can deposit spots, humming softly to himself. I had
seen him riding his bicycle up to the store as I drove into the
parking lot.
"Wow,
you have got a lot of cans there!" he exclaimed cheerily. "I
got a lot of cans myself, picked 'em up along Kercheval down there by
Lakewood and Newport. Can't believe how people just throw these cans
down on the sidewalk. That's like throwin' away money!"
"I
know what you mean," I said, weary from a day of work and an
hour of exercise as I methodically put my cans into the chute.
"Well,
I'm out of work, and a man's got to do something to get a little
extra cash, you know. This is better than some stuff, you know what I
mean?"
He
paused briefly. "Where'd you pick all of your cans?"
At
first, his question confused me. Then I realized he thought I was in
the same business he was. "Oh, I got all of mine from home,"
I said quickly.
He
looked at me quizzically then asked if I knew what day it was.
"Sure.
It's Wednesday," I said.
"Ah,
then that means tomorrow is Thursday. That's the day you can get a
free meal over there at that school by St. Phil's. You know that
school by Marseilles and Mack. Real good food. Ever been there? They
don't ask you any questions. They just seem happy to give you a good
meal. You should try it," he said, still as chipper as when I'd
arrived.
What?
I should try the free meal? What was he talking about? Did he think I
was a vagrant who'd picked up these cans off the street? That I
needed the handout of a free meal? Did I really look that bad
after Zumba?
I'm
sure he must have seen the confusion on my face but the look on his
face was sheer generosity. He was doing the best he could for
himself. He didn't have much but he was still offering to help me
because he thought I needed it.
My
prayer is that I am always so generous to those in need, that I never
look past someone who is sad or hungry or lonely, that I always take
the time to look closely and respond to their needs.
Joan
Richardson
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