Reality Check

Get Together
By Indigo Girls
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I was grouchy, moody, to the point that it was affecting me physically.... wallowing in self pity and hoping someone would jump on my band wagon and sympathize with me from time to time throughout my day. And they did. That's what friends usually do.

So last night was "homeless shelter night". I usually look forward to this once a month reality check. I didn't want to go last night. I was too into me...YUCK!!! We prayed before we got there and it put a little perspective in my self absorbed head. But when I walked through the doors I was greeted by the president of the organization and another fellow who were very concerned about "Boots". Boots is a man in his late fifty's who I kinda took a liking to a few months back. And he liked me back....he opened up to me as well as a couple other people from my church. He's even attended some Sunday's!

It turned out that Boot's birthday was last night. And Boots was NOT in the best of moods. It was thrown on me to "pull him outta his mood". I thought, "wait just a minute! I'm the cranky one tonight, I'm the one not feeling well."

Slap to the cheek, upper cut to the jaw, punch to ribs...."OKAY OKAY I'm listening" I said to God. "You got my attention!"

We set the food down in the kitchen, socialized for a few minutes, prayed and then formed the line. I scurried through the group and found Boots..slumped down on a couch, ballcap over his face, in a defeated pose, feigning sleep. Several other "guests" at the shelter waylayed me on my path to talk to Boots. He was hungry and before I knew it he was in line to grab his plateful.

I ate with Boots last night and it was tough at first. He claimed that no one was having a birthday. The first two gentlemen that spoke with me warned me that he was grouchy but I had never seen him this bad. I felt the gentlemen were watching me. Maybe it was my imagination. But what wasn't my imagination was the change in Boots as the night progressed. I never heard him laugh before. As I felt heads turning I don't think that too many people there had. I don't remember what cracked him up and it really doesn't matter. What does matter is that I was able to do what was asked of me by these two gentlemen. And of God.

Pull Boots outta his funk.
AND
Matthew 25:40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

But even better then that....Boots smiled a silly little grin when we all sang Happy Birthday to him.

....c'mon people now, smile on your brother, everybody get together , gotta love one another right now...

Hugs, Happiness and Harmony

Julie