March 8, 2010

Verse of the Day
"Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied." Luke 6:20-21

Song of the Day
We Are One Body by Dana Scallon
http://www.spiritandsong.com/compositions/16432

This link has the song with the words. Once again, the verse, song and spiritual growth section have a running theme. God seems to be orchestrating that for me. Today the theme is the poor.

Food
Made some roasted cauliflour for lunch with olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper. It looked and smelled fabulous. I thought I would be reporting how they ate it up like candy, not so much. Race car claimed he liked it, but declined seconds.

"Stuff" Detachment
Got rid of a spatula, wooden spoon, and steamer basket. All were old and have been at the bottom of the drawer since we moved here.

Spiritual Growth
Today I went to pick Mr. Fix-it up. He had been away visiting his family on the east coast for a couple days. He agreed to take the light rail over to the Target Center where the new Twins Stadium is and would walk across the street and meet me at Sharing and Caring Hands. Perfect! I could drop off my bags of stuff I had accumulated to donate.

I need to back up a bit. Prior to him leaving, I saw he left his gloves somewhere, so I put them on his bag so he wouldn't forget them for his trip. It was then that I noticed how run down they were with a hole in the finger. Then I began looking around thinking about how everything looked run down, basically having a pity party, but I was the only one there. I made a mental note to keep my eyes open for some gloves. He walks about 15 minutes outside on his way to and from work, so he needs a decent pair of gloves.

Just a side note for those of you not familiar with Sharing and Caring Hands. Mary Jo Copeland started Sharing and Caring Hands in 1985. It has grown immensely to serve the needs of the poor and helping them transition into a self-sustaining life. She washes the feet of the poor when they first come in and gives them new shoes to wear. She is amazing, plain and simple. Check out their website if you are interested. http://www.sharingandcaringhands.org/index.htm

I always like to bring our donated goods there. We have gotten to know some of the Dominican Sisters that work there, plus I think it is good for the kids to see that there are people out there that we need to care about and pray for. So, when I pulled in, there stood Mr. Fix-it like a sore thumb talking to a homeless man. I was so proud of him, what a great thing for the kids to see their father sharing God's love with this strange man.

I pulled in to drop my stuff off. Mr. Fix-it walked up to see us. Of course, we were so happy to see him after him being gone for a few days, but I couldn't help crying on the way home. I felt so bad for this man on the streets. How much he would have loved to have a happy smiling family come pick him up and take him to a nice home. Then Mr. Fix-it told me a bit about their conversation. I guess the man has a tent that keeps him warm in really cold temperatures. Mr. Fix-it asked him if he had gloves because he was going to give him his. That is when it hit me. I said "Those gloves! There is a hole in the finger." And Mr. Fix-it said "Yah, but it is better than nothing." Turned out the man did have gloves and proudly explained how he got his jacket out of the garbage. So, here I was feeling sorry for myself because of everything getting run down and this man is happy about a jacket he found in the garbage. Sure makes you grateful. Maybe some things are run down around here, but who cares? We have so much. I sit here still having trouble with the image of him on the street. It just shouldn't be that way. Thank God for Mary Jo Copeland. She explains profusely that a large percentage of the people in there aren't there because of their own screwed up decisions, but because they simply came on hard times. I take it for granted that I have such a great family and support system. Everyone doesn't have that.

I chose the verse above because of this experience. I also think after an experience like this, it is necessary to recall this man in our prayers continually. Mr. Fix-it had a real amazing "It's A Wonderful Life" sort of experiences a year or two ago. Maybe I will share it one of these days, but I know we have to continue to pray for that man as well. We may be the only ones that they have to pray for them. We are one body in Christ, hence the song I chose above. We are all equally loved in God's eyes, homeless or homeblessed.

So, that is my spiritual growth for today - an attitude of gratitude and a prayer for a better tomorrow for that man. I will continue on as planned tomorrow.

Today's Menu
Breakfast: Oatmeal made with whole milk, bananas, and cinnamon, Jone's sausage patties

Lunch: Ham Sandwiches, made with Nature's Pride 100% whole wheat double fiber bread, Shaved ham, marble jack cheese, roasted cauliflour, strawberries

Dinner: Stuffed peppers made with peppers, white rice, ground beef seasoned with chili powder and cumin, marble jack cheese, bananas

Snack: Butter snap pretzels