Quick little testimony, if you dont mind... Everyone of us experience times when were down or when things just arent going our way. Who among us hasnt wished things were different for them...? I certainly have. Especially as of late. I, myself, have been wondering what is so horrible about me that make people say Im mean, heartless or arrogant... I take Harrison to a local co-op every morning. This morning, on the way, I saw a boy on our street waiting for the school bus with his little sister. Its a little chilly this morning. I noticed his sister had on a small jacket, but he didnt. He was wearing a short sleeved t-shirt and had his arms inside his shirt to keep them warm. When I came back from dropping Harrison off, I saw that he and his sister were still there. He still had his arms in his shirt, but now he was walking back and forth down a section of the street. I assume in an effort to warm himself. As I watched him, I felt bad he was cold and I wanted to help but didnt really know how... Especially in this neighborhood. I mean, its such a rough neighborhood, we keep to ourselves. Other than the 89 year old woman who lives next door the a couple that we attend church with, we know none of our neighbors. I have no idea who these kids belong to. Im not even sure it was their house they were in front of while waiting for the bus... I walked inside, still thinking about the boy, and noticed the coat corral by the door - where we keep our coats, jackets, hats, etc. I noticed that there were two jackets on both of the boys hooks. My kids each have one coat and one jacket and that poor boy didnt have either. He had none. Thats when I thought The boys dont need TWO... One is plenty. I grabbed one of the jackets that I thought would fit the boy and walked outside. I stood there a minute, watching the boy walk back and forth - sort of reluctant to approach him, as I didn’t want to seem like the creepy guy in the van giving out candy. So, the next time he turned and started walking in my direction, I went for it. I walked all the way out into the driveway, held up the opened jacket and called out “You look cold. Would you like a jacket?” I stayed in the driveway because I didnt have on shoes. I only had on Doctor Who socks and the grass was wet. (Thats right - I didnt wear shoes to take Harrison to school... What can I say, Im a southern girl through and through!) He heard me and slowly started to walk toward me. As he did, he called out “Ma’am?” Still holding up the jacket, I said “I thought you might need a jacket. You seem like youre cold...” He was still walking toward me and I could tell he was interested in having the jacket. He slowed, a bit, when he reached my yard, so I walked out into the grass to ease his mind - even though I knew itd get my socks wet... I said “If this one fits, you can have it…” He got to where I was, put an arm up and sort of turned - you know, like a kid does when you help them put on a coat... I held it as he put one arm in. The sleeve had been rolled up a little, so he started unrolling it. I said “After you unroll the sleeve, I think it will fit…” He said “Yes ma’am. It does. I finished helping him put it on. I said There ya go. I think it fits... He smiled and said It does. Thank you It almost brought a tear to my eye, but I fought it... I told him he was welcome and went back inside. It made me feel great to be able to help that kid. That was an unexpected side effect. The boy looked cold and I wanted to help him. The smile it put on my face... The smile from seeing how much he appreciated it... It was the first genuine smile Ive had in awhile... Not the smiles like Ive had to fake lately. I went on about my day and as I did... I heard a little voice in my head.... That still small voice from somewhere way way way in the back of my mind that said: “You’re not as bad as people make you out to be… Thank you, Lord, for giving me that opportunity...
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 14:09:44 +0000