A heart warming story for the soul!!
One day a woman was walking down the street when she spied a beggar
sitting in the corner. The man was elderly, unshaven, and ragged. As
he sat there, pedestrians walked by him giving him dirty looks. They
clearly wanted nothing to do with him because of who he was -- a
dirty, homeless man. But when she saw him, the woman was moved to
compassion.
It was very cold that day and the man had his tattered coat -- more
like an old suit coat rather than a warm coat -- wrapped around him.
She stopped and looked down. "Sir?" she asked. "Are you all right?"
The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the
finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like she had never
missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to
make fun of him, like so many others had done before. "Leave me
alone," he growled.
To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling --
her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry?" she
asked.
"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the
president. Now go away."
The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle
hand under his arm. "What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily.
"I said to leave me alone."
> Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he
asked.
"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to
get this man to his feet. Will you help me?"
The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture
around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?"
"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him
something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."
"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go
in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him
up. "Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything."
"This is a good deal for you, Jack," the officer answered. "Don't blow
it."
Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer
got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner.
It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had
already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived. The manager
strode across the cafeteria and stood by the table. "What's going on
here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this. Is this man in trouble?"
"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman
answered.
"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that
here is bad for business."
Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if
you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."
The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. "Sir, are you
familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"
"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their
weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."
"And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these
weekly meetings?"
"What business is that of yours?"
"I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."
"Oh."
The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference."
She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. "Would you like
to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"
"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."
"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"
"Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice."
The cafeteria manager turned on his heel. "I'll get your coffee for
you > right away, officer."
The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his
place," he said.
"That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all
this."
She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She
stared at him intently. "Jack, do you remember me?"
Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes "I think so -- I
mean you do look familiar."
"I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out
more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through
that very door, cold and hungry."
"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such
a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.
"I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city
looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to
my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked
the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly
starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I
could get something to eat."
Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the
serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for
something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."
"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast
beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told
me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you
would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over, I saw you put the
price of my food in the cash register. I knew then that everything
would be all right."
"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.
"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I
started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered." She
opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are
finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He's the
personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm
certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled.
"I think he might even find the funds to give you a little
advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until
you get on your feet. And if you ever need anything, my door is always
opened to you."
There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you," he
said.
"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank
him.> He led me to you."
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the
entrance before going their separate ways. "Thank you for all your
help, officer,"
she said.
"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle
today, something that I will never forget. And... And thank you for
the coffee."
She frowned. "I forgot to ask you whether you used cr �me or sugar.
That's black."
The officer looked at the steaming cup of coffee in his hand. "Yes, I
do take cr� me and sugar -- perhaps more sugar than is good for me."
He patted his ample stomach.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"I don't need it now," he replied smiling. "I've got the feeling that
this coffee you bought me is going to taste as sweet as sugar."
If you have missed knowing me, you have missed nothing.
If you have missed some of my emails, you have missed a laugh.
But, if you have missed knowing GOD, you
have missed everything in the world.
God is love.
One day a woman was walking down the street when she spied a beggar
sitting in the corner. The man was elderly, unshaven, and ragged. As
he sat there, pedestrians walked by him giving him dirty looks. They
clearly wanted nothing to do with him because of who he was -- a
dirty, homeless man. But when she saw him, the woman was moved to
compassion.
It was very cold that day and the man had his tattered coat -- more
like an old suit coat rather than a warm coat -- wrapped around him.
She stopped and looked down. "Sir?" she asked. "Are you all right?"
The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the
finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like she had never
missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to
make fun of him, like so many others had done before. "Leave me
alone," he growled.
To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling --
her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry?" she
asked.
"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with the
president. Now go away."
The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle
hand under his arm. "What are you doing, lady?" the man asked angrily.
"I said to leave me alone."
> Just then a policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he
asked.
"No problem here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to
get this man to his feet. Will you help me?"
The officer scratched his head. "That's old Jack. He's been a fixture
around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?"
"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to get him
something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."
"Are you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go
in there!" Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him
up. "Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything."
"This is a good deal for you, Jack," the officer answered. "Don't blow
it."
Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer
got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner.
It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had
already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived. The manager
strode across the cafeteria and stood by the table. "What's going on
here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this. Is this man in trouble?"
"This lady brought this man in here to be fed," the policeman
answered.
"Not in here!" the manager replied angrily. "Having a person like that
here is bad for business."
Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if
you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."
The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. "Sir, are you
familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?"
"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They hold their
weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."
"And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these
weekly meetings?"
"What business is that of yours?"
"I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."
"Oh."
The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference."
She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. "Would you like
to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"
"No thanks, ma'am," the officer replied. "I'm on duty."
"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?"
"Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice."
The cafeteria manager turned on his heel. "I'll get your coffee for
you > right away, officer."
The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in his
place," he said.
"That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all
this."
She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest. She
stared at him intently. "Jack, do you remember me?"
Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes "I think so -- I
mean you do look familiar."
"I'm a little older perhaps," she said. "Maybe I've even filled out
more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through
that very door, cold and hungry."
"Ma'am?" the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such
a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry.
"I was just out of college," the woman began. "I had come to the city
looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to
my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked
the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly
starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I
could get something to eat."
Jack lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the
serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for
something to eat. I said that it was against company policy."
"I know," the woman continued. "Then you made me the biggest roast
beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told
me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you
would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over, I saw you put the
price of my food in the cash register. I knew then that everything
would be all right."
"So you started your own business?" Old Jack said.
"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I
started my own business that, with the help of God, prospered." She
opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are
finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He's the
personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm
certain he'll find something for you to do around the office." She smiled.
"I think he might even find the funds to give you a little
advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until
you get on your feet. And if you ever need anything, my door is always
opened to you."
There were tears in the old man's eyes. "How can I ever thank you," he
said.
"Don't thank me," the woman answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank
him.> He led me to you."
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the
entrance before going their separate ways. "Thank you for all your
help, officer,"
she said.
"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank you. I saw a miracle
today, something that I will never forget. And... And thank you for
the coffee."
She frowned. "I forgot to ask you whether you used cr �me or sugar.
That's black."
The officer looked at the steaming cup of coffee in his hand. "Yes, I
do take cr� me and sugar -- perhaps more sugar than is good for me."
He patted his ample stomach.
"I'm sorry," she said.
"I don't need it now," he replied smiling. "I've got the feeling that
this coffee you bought me is going to taste as sweet as sugar."
If you have missed knowing me, you have missed nothing.
If you have missed some of my emails, you have missed a laugh.
But, if you have missed knowing GOD, you
have missed everything in the world.
God is love.
