April 23rd, 2022: A Conversation...

I took a walk through an area where many homeless folks gather.
Many were surprised by the snowstorm and tried to find ways to cope with the weather.

Not many asked for money today.
Some had too much to drink and had a lot to say.

I bought some sandwiches from a nearby shop.
Some were happy to have food as I made my stop.

Some asked for a drink as I sat down and chatted.
A young man asked for my name and my hat.

He told me that he came from a small town in Manitoba.
He didn't remember much else and was worried about his umbrella.

He has a mom and a dad, but they are too drunk to care for him.
He started drinking in his early teens.

He was honest and did not hide his pain.
I tried to listen to him carefully because of the noise of a passing train.

It was a story of abuse and neglect.
We cannot fathom it with our human intellect.

I did not plan to make this visit.
Sometimes our soul is delighted by the prompting of God's spirit.

I said goodbye to my young friend.
My heart was both thankful and frayed.

Matthew 22: 35-40

 
"And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."