Pages

Wednesday, October 9

love is something you do.
there is a young couple, with
six children, and every time they
get ready to leave after
visiting me, the husband
silently moves through my house
and collects every garbage
container of trash, and takes it
out with them as they leave.

it's not as if my place is sloppy.
it is simply a gesture of doing
their part of clean-up for the visit.
every visit. and the husband
does the work!

sarah, the wife, is 36yrs. old.
i am her best friend. one day, she
was lonely for me.

"ann, if i pay half the cab fare,
can you cover the rest?"

"of course," i responded.

we are all recovering addicts.
she has just had a hysterectomy,
and had to be on a lot of pain medication.
we will be going through detox together. not
because we have walked away
from recovery, but have each been so ill.
had to take meds momentarily,
and refuse to abandon the
sweet taste of deliverance. and
God's best. the road to recovery.

laughing,
sarah said to the cabbie,
"i'm 36 and my friend is 68,
but who cares?!!"
sarah makes me feel so special!

another gal is in her 30's..
single mom. we've got so
much in common. raising
children alone. hanging by
the edge of our teeth financially.
she drives me to sacramento,
to doctor's appointments. sat
in my hospital room to keep me
from being alone. to not feel
my pain and physical agony so
acutely.

my children will tell you
that if there is one thing Jesus
and i have called them to it is
to give their love away. a fast-food
lunch to a bent, dirty soul
resting on a curb. a smile at
someone who walks by. to give
some of every penny Jesus gives
them to others in need.

to play ball with a child.
to hug an unattractive, elderly
man. to stop and laugh with
someone who seems sad. to
hug a child. to squeeze until
they giggle.

to feed another mother's
child. to help a crippled woman
cross the street. we do one thing
with everyone who passes by.
we build a wall or a bridge.  i
want to be a bridge-builder
for Jesus. to change the world
every single day. in even a very
small way. yes. love is something
we are..and something we do.

"all for Jesus..all for Jesus...
every day and every hour..."

No comments:

Post a Comment