~How a homeless man and his devoted partner assisted me in overcoming my~ ~spiritual depression~611Please respect copyright.PENANAdS1zB62R1D
By: Marion Bond West
611Please respect copyright.PENANAgPsMFuGZ81
I couldn't understand why exactly, but lately I've been feeling distant from God, like he doesn't hear me. A case of spiritual blues, I guess. 611Please respect copyright.PENANA1BenjhZFPL
The scorching heat didn't help — August here in Georgia 611Please respect copyright.PENANAvTEgo7wGW0
can be downright unbearable. It was 100 degrees today and 611Please respect copyright.PENANACB9LQBV9Eg
was pretty sticky. I turned the car's A/C on full blast 611Please respect copyright.PENANA72MTVSCG00
and was ready to do my chores and head home. Then 611Please respect copyright.PENANAyOGCSZgYzD
I saw a dog. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAfgpFuwvOCK
He lay on an empty army green bag right next to the Applebee's restaurant and walked around. There is no shadow. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAC7VJpfomxg
Asleep, or at least I hoped he was. He could have 611Please respect copyright.PENANA05KTDOdgff
died in this heat! I went in and found a parking space. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAXAQdr8V6UV
Then I hurried to the dog. I bowed. "Hey buddy. Are you 611Please respect copyright.PENANAfhGzO3BMrT
thirsty?" 611Please respect copyright.PENANAwID6xW5GwF
I love dogs and they love me. But this one—he was 611Please respect copyright.PENANAShqjnAV1C0
of medium height, black, gray around the muzzle—611Please respect copyright.PENANAncKt0T5VRj
opened one eye, closed it, and turned his head away from me. On purpose. His tail did not slide. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAuIFHpW7fys
He had a collar and by the way was guarding 611Please respect copyright.PENANAAspV1eDLPZ
's bag, I thought he was waiting for his owner 611Please respect copyright.PENANAAJeTFYZFMw
who was undoubtedly sitting in the air-conditioned condition of the restaurant! 611Please respect copyright.PENANA4BK6JEtC0g
I stormed into Applebee's ready for battle. Immediately at 611Please respect copyright.PENANAyKVnECKNz9
I noticed the owner. He sat alone at the counter, 611Please respect copyright.PENANAJG3ObCLgSS
a tall glass of iced tea in front of him. Long wavy blonde 611Please respect copyright.PENANA5UDrBHWfWq
hair and beard. Skinny, how he can't always have enough 611Please respect copyright.PENANA1nxnVdYr70
to eat. He wore jeans that had seen better days, 611Please respect copyright.PENANAvHCOtfAPqu
, but they were clean, although his arms had the faintest of 611Please respect copyright.PENANAeuGXEZ9ffN
paint stains. He seemed to sense my 611Please respect copyright.PENANAPOFg3jvzw1
approach and turned the stool towards me.611Please respect copyright.PENANAMX1587NHxo
"Is that your dog?" I insist. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAhT2vtZ9Gpv
"Yes, ma'am, he is." 611Please respect copyright.PENANA5E5hr0YUYV
"He's out in the sun and has no water. I think he's 611Please respect copyright.PENANAA5lxOTftTG
hungry too." I must have raised my voice because about 611Please respect copyright.PENANAsrHNQBZxP8
people looked at me. "Dogs like me, but he wouldn't even open both eyes when I talked to him." 611Please respect copyright.PENANA6GrUHOJLRl
The man smiled slowly and lightly. He slipped off the 611Please respect copyright.PENANASsaszWGz1J
stool. "That's because he wasn't properly 611Please respect copyright.PENANAWL86C3UotV
introduced to you. Don't bother. I'll do the honors." 611Please respect copyright.PENANAVElXsBIMXP
Introducing? I followed him outside. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAQbg9iL1E8a
He crouched next to the dog, which was sitting up and 611Please respect copyright.PENANAxguvKE3Xr7
turned his eyes to the owner. His tail came to life. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAgdCgU57w9J
"Madam, I don't know your name." 611Please respect copyright.PENANAY9Qoy1LVSE
"Marion". I leaned close to them. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAxC4yggfwq1
"Marion, I'd like you to meet Cheeseburger. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAK8fqGmAfVZ
Cheeseburger, this lovely lady is Marion." The dog looked 611Please respect copyright.PENANA9zrZiTvqSi
straight in my eyes and offered a paw. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAfR1vqPkWw8
I took it. "Hey, cheeseburger," I said. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAvM0IJLtRvu
He licked my hand and his tail went in high. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAEdJa8RwGsM
"And I'm Johnny," said the man. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAVaH0p3o7Hk
"Johnny, I'm afraid he's thirsty." 611Please respect copyright.PENANAQEMz3Sqa3V
"Oh, he's fine," she said. "This place was shady when 611Please respect copyright.PENANACO0berL9st
I left him here just a few minutes ago." Johnny picked up his 611Please respect copyright.PENANAfsOMuPCkKZ
handbag. "We've been together for nine years. Look, he has my cell number on his collar and he's vaccinated 611Please respect copyright.PENANA5AcJsXfVgN
." Johnny moved his bag under the Japanese maple 611Please respect copyright.PENANAImqS0BRAMK
and Cheeseburger sat 611Please respect copyright.PENANAfsR4WyX44Q
next to it in the shade.611Please respect copyright.PENANATpZYDlVywJ
"How far do you live from here?" I asked. 611Please respect copyright.PENANARLwy2GgLeX
"Not far," he said. "Back in the woods, on the other side of 611Please respect copyright.PENANASsFEtB5miJ
. We have a good tent." 611Please respect copyright.PENANAiVj879wiQ0
"But couldn't you go to the shelter?" 611Please respect copyright.PENANAHjGTYXKpQS
"They don't take a cheeseburger and I don't go anywhere without one," he said. Every time he said 611Please respect copyright.PENANAKtHkhFNrjK
,611Please respect copyright.PENANAwxvNxOLq0N
cheeseburgers, the dog's tail happily wagged 611Please respect copyright.PENANAp0V0f68J3T
,611Please respect copyright.PENANAGL71efVoVQ
back and forth. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAFpqb0ZRrMf
"Johnny, I can't leave without a cheeseburger food and water," I said. "It's 611Please respect copyright.PENANAcR1iZX3ihz
, not you. It's just, well, I have this thing about dogs..." 611Please respect copyright.PENANAfwYowRw9sS
"Fine, if it makes you happy," he said. "I'll go back 611Please respect copyright.PENANAqKySiuY440
now and finish my drink... It was nice 611Please respect copyright.PENANAcTSWybzhWV
meeting you, Marion. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAaPyKp6nzRB
I locked up at Walgreen's and came back with a bowl, 611Please respect copyright.PENANA3NaI0YozEz
a large bottle of cold water, a bag of dog food, and 611Please respect copyright.PENANAlIi1X30lUA
bones. Then I went in and picked up Johnny at 611Please respect copyright.PENANAS0iUR8LHvz
restaurant. "I thought you should come with me while I give 611Please respect copyright.PENANAceIBNCh9lR
food and water for a cheeseburger," I told him. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAD9a1OzG7KS
"Okeydoke," he said. The cheeseburger stood Johnny 611Please respect copyright.PENANA6PFF05ZCAa
and I approached. I put the food down and he took 611Please respect copyright.PENANAFNv1cVvGs3
bites of it - mostly out of politeness. He covered enough 611Please respect copyright.PENANA7UKLpS7TE1
water. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAZfmevQRemO
"I think he was thirsty," said Johnny. "Thanks. I won't give him bottled water, but don't worry, I'll take very good care of him." 611Please respect copyright.PENANAHiLDXb5phB
"And who will take care of you?" The words flew out of my mouth before I could stop them, and I knew they sounded sharper than I intended. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAXk95vuehmS
Johnny didn't seem to care. “That's how it works,” he said gently 611Please respect copyright.PENANAWe5PFd33gA
. “Every morning Cheeseburger and I get out of our tent 611Please respect copyright.PENANAMKFwN0X9o9
and look at the sky. And I say: Lord, we belong to you. We trust you. Take care of us one more day. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAKpazeuyQTa
Thank you. ” And then at night, when we fall asleep, 611Please respect copyright.PENANAPQWdoGbHnb
I look at the stars and say: “God, we still trust You.” 611Please respect copyright.PENANAkCsA1vwbYo
He smiled again—that slow, easy laugh. 611Please respect copyright.PENANABFoarDXSnm
I smiled back. There was just something about his 611Please respect copyright.PENANApd3RjHD57a
eyes that I liked. "Maybe I'll see you and the cheeseburger again sometime 611Please respect copyright.PENANAk3lfjpNNpi
," I said. 611Please respect copyright.PENANATHePYX4sj6
“Okeydoke. Me and the cheeseburger come here or go to 611Please respect copyright.PENANAVE60FfVOZ5
McDonalds most mornings. Then we walk down 611Please respect copyright.PENANAz0miqaXP5h
to the post office. I am a painter by trade and I hope to find a job for 611Please respect copyright.PENANAsil7TRCchu
."611Please respect copyright.PENANA1lJu4K4hfh
There was a real calm about Johnny, even 611Please respect copyright.PENANAwV8vFjZSZu
despite my unkind accusations. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAZEqo7UELab
I fished in my purse and found a twenty. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAfelp8I3Rk4
"Can I have this?" I asked hesitantly, not knowing how 611Please respect copyright.PENANAGGY8GsD9NV
was supposed to work. 611Please respect copyright.PENANAuZJu74h9eA
He did not hand over the bill, but looked at me with a 611Please respect copyright.PENANA8rvI8cuadT
satisfied expression. "You don't have to. We're 611Please respect copyright.PENANAXWz4ijECPg
doing pretty well." 611Please respect copyright.PENANAyBuxt7CY0h
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"I would. Very much." 611Please respect copyright.PENANAxbVTebQpkg
"Then I thank you, Marion. God bless you." 611Please respect copyright.PENANAziRtpcNyMY
I went back to my car and turned on the 611Please respect copyright.PENANAFvpcdzUg9I
air conditioner. At a red light I leaned forward and looked up at the 611Please respect copyright.PENANAsL8vojDw9y
blue cloudless sky. "Lord, I belong to you. I trust you 611Please respect copyright.PENANAaWXJ26YbOQ
. Take care of me today. Thank you." 611Please respect copyright.PENANACpFabSf03v
The light changed. I stepped onto the highway 611Please respect copyright.PENANAw5yvZtARQ7
fresh, not so much from the cool air, but from 611Please respect copyright.PENANAuiGCazkwc3
. unmistakable peace, the same peace I saw in Johnny's eyes.611Please respect copyright.PENANA6kkSEWKcss
611Please respect copyright.PENANAc7Q2Fa2dQm