So, I am out driving around in New Orleans. Delivering tools and supplies. Spending time with workers and home owners. I also need to buy some postage stamps to mail thank you cards, so I am looking for a place to buy stamps. Try to find a post office in a town that you are unfamiliar with. By the way, there are no blue mailboxes here. After Katrina, they were all underwater, the mail was wet and rotten and the post office took them out. You have to find a mail carrier or go to the post office to mail a letter.
Walgreens. There it is. I wonder if they have stamps. I pull in and park. This is not a good part of town. How do you know that it is not a good part of town? Well, that is a judgement isn't it. Lets see. The houses are not very nice, the people are dressed poorly. The neighborhood and the people have an unkempt look to them. People are loitering here and there. I felt afraid. Isn't that wrong? Come on Jeff. These are people.
I go into Walgreens. I am waiting in line to buy stamps. The man in front of me in line is....is....well, he is about 25 and poor. Dirty, smelly, and about 4 foot eight inches tall. You know, some people have a hard life. Some of the people who are not our beautiful people are God's beautiful people.
The young man is in line to buy 2 packets of microwave popcorn. Not boxes, two packets. You and I buy a box of six packets of popcorn. This Walgreens sells it by the individual packet. I guess there is a market for individual packets of microwave popcorn in this neighborhood. Two packets of popcorn costs .82 cents. The young man digs into his pockets and presents a handful of change. No quarters, mostly nickels and pennies. Either the kind of change you have after you have spent your good change, or the kind of change that you pick up here and there on the sidewalk.
It's not enough. He only has about 58 cents. I immediately do what each of you would have done, I pull out two quarters and put them on the counter. The man looks me in the eye and very deliberately says "thank you." Piercing words from his world to mine. He paid for his popcorn and then tried to give me the extra change.
I walked out of the Walgreens and returned to my life. A missions trip. A van owned by the church. A plane flight home. A wife that loves me. Three great kids. A nice home. Cars, computers, bicycles, tools, friends and a great job.
He walked out of the Walgreens with two bags of microwave popcorn.
3 comments:
My son went to church today. Yeah, I forced it, so he rebelled, untucked shirt, you know, unkempt hair, kinda like the popcorn man.
hmmmm. the popcorn man is someone's child...
A mother somewhere is probably grieving, her heart breaking, wondering if she could have done a better job, if she could have made better choices. My son has free will, so does the popcorn man. So, it's our job, we must pray for them, all of them.
On a positive note, man, Clay brought it home. He touched me, and I saw my son grab a tissue... thank you God and thank you for using Clay... Yes, Jeff, it's a good day, and I am seeing the GOOD. God bless you for your service. Prayers to you.
I have walked in the popcorn man's shoes. Pride can get the best of us. Life can also get the best of us. Life can make us hard but love can soften us if we allow it. Thank you for helping the popcorn man. I'm sure it softened his heart.
If you didn know you can buy stamps in walgreens
Post a Comment