The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly accustomed to
the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like that 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 his 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 dressed
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. 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 Jesus. 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."
If you have missed knowing me, you have
missed nothing.
If you have missed some of my emails,
you might have missed a laugh.
But, if you have missed knowing my LORD
and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, you have missed everything in the world
Have a Wonderful Day And May God Bless
You Always
God is so big He can cover the whole
world with his Love and so small He can curl up inside your heart.
email:info@medjugorjeusa.org