“Food for Friends” by Shela Thompson I have a heart for the unloved and unwanted. I am one of them in many, many, many ways. I have a heart and a firm belief that I am required to love and give back to the world. I have been made fun of, shunned, and have seen more rolling eyes than I can count. That never stopped me. It should never stop anyone. Sadly, most people are either too self-absorbed or so desperate for approval that they hush that small voice in their head, heart and spirit. They throw it ALL away for the approval of people who couldn’t care less if they lived or died. Egregious and heartbreaking; these walking dead are growing into groaning, seething, lonely, lost and empty masses; their weight pressing down and smothering the very earth and air that sustains life…meaningful life. In the early 90’s, or somewhere around that time, AIDS/HIV was a death sentence. Society, in all its great hypocrisy; like any one of them can judge someone else when they harbor hatred, fear, ignorance and lies in their souls; treated these suffering people worse than dogs in the street. It made me sick to my stomach; Hypocrites, Liars, Self-Righteous, Religious, Horrific people. Not one of you are clean enough to point ONE FINGER in anyone’s face. You will get what you give. You can count on that. I decided that it sickened me so much that I would just do something about it. I took a course on AIDS/HIV so I could become a volunteer for a wonderful, loving group of people called “Food for Friends.” They cooked food for dying AIDS/HIV people; men, women and children, who were homebound, waiting for death to take away the shame, pain, and loneliness that had been dumped on them without mercy. I volunteered for a once a week delivery route. It was one of the most humbling and sad experiences in my life. What I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, is that God is about love. God is about showing love, actively and without prejudice to those most in need. I cried every single week as names dropped off the list at alarming rates. I shared many meaningful moments of love with these individuals. For some, it was the only love they had been given since their diagnosis. One of the most powerful experiences I had on this journey was with a new name on my list. I had a really hard time finding him. He lived in one of those old Victorian homes in New Orleans that had been turned into 5000 tiny apartments. I knocked on the door a few times. I turned the knob and the door was not locked. That is when our eyes met. He was a shadow of a human being, sitting in a wheel chair all alone. I walked in, sat down next to him, took his hand and gave him a long, long hug. He burst into tears and told me that I was the first person who had touched him since he had gotten sick. He couldn’t even remember the last time another human being had touched him. Again I say HYPOCRITES, LIARS and RELIGIOUS FREAKS. How dare you sit on your high horse when your hands are filthy with your own darkness, evil thoughts and deeds. God is not amused. You are a disgrace and a shame on this earth. I can’t remember how many times I saw him, not very many. One day, I knocked and knocked and knocked on his door. There was no answer and the door was locked. I went on about the rest of my route, calling him several times. The phone was always busy. Something felt amiss. I called the Food for Friends office and told them I thought something was wrong, and could they send someone to check on him. They did, 2 or 3 days later. This poor soul was found dead with the phone in his hand. I am so grateful to God that He called me there, to these unloved souls, to offer them His love that had been denied them by their own families and friends; by people who are absolutely NO BETTER, and certainly in no position to pass such judgement on ANY of GOD’S CHILDREN. You make me sick. I am a richer person for this experience. I gave food, and most importantly, love to those who were more hungry in their hearts than in their bodies. People are people. It is not my place to judge how they live their lives. That is between God and them. I am charged with the task of loving, even if society decrees that certain people don’t deserve to be loved. The fact of the matter is, they probably deserve it more than the disgusting hypocrites who decreed them unlovable in the first place. Stop judging; JUST STOP IT. None of us are worthy enough to cast stones on others; NOT ONE OF US. “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ Matthew 25:40
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 03:11:24 +0000
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