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"Good morning!" said a
woman, as she walked up to the man sitting on the
ground.
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 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 godly 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, maam. 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 and 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 God. 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."
God is going to
shift things around for you today and let things work in your
favor.
If you believe, send it. If you don't believe,
delete it.
God closes doors no man can open and
God opens doors no man can close. If you need God to open some
doors for you, send this on.
Have a blessed day and
remember to be a blessing.
LIVE WELL, LOVE MUCH, LAUGH
OFTEN
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