~How a homeless man and his devoted partner assisted me in overcoming my~ ~spiritual depression~610Please respect copyright.PENANAqcBBVIHYWo
By: Marion Bond West
610Please respect copyright.PENANA5bYjTrLf3u
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. 610Please respect copyright.PENANALReqnatGtj
The scorching heat didn't help — August here in Georgia 610Please respect copyright.PENANABpp1CbQrEX
can be downright unbearable. It was 100 degrees today and 610Please respect copyright.PENANA0prgWORDkb
was pretty sticky. I turned the car's A/C on full blast 610Please respect copyright.PENANAgOX9F5AYOS
and was ready to do my chores and head home. Then 610Please respect copyright.PENANATFCsWjYP1w
I saw a dog. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAuuKlmpchOh
He lay on an empty army green bag right next to the Applebee's restaurant and walked around. There is no shadow. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAkA5WkCv5cT
Asleep, or at least I hoped he was. He could have 610Please respect copyright.PENANA0PA3yKfWOw
died in this heat! I went in and found a parking space. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAXLtunrW3MJ
Then I hurried to the dog. I bowed. "Hey buddy. Are you 610Please respect copyright.PENANAZtIXASoieH
thirsty?" 610Please respect copyright.PENANArgaxqePOZy
I love dogs and they love me. But this one—he was 610Please respect copyright.PENANAA1Nl9WUrEJ
of medium height, black, gray around the muzzle—610Please respect copyright.PENANAk0SRniP2sg
opened one eye, closed it, and turned his head away from me. On purpose. His tail did not slide. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAuiLJqq6pVK
He had a collar and by the way was guarding 610Please respect copyright.PENANAEpqvN35FcI
's bag, I thought he was waiting for his owner 610Please respect copyright.PENANAJWRGtgHM0w
who was undoubtedly sitting in the air-conditioned condition of the restaurant! 610Please respect copyright.PENANAXNmLpROQoX
I stormed into Applebee's ready for battle. Immediately at 610Please respect copyright.PENANAYlMwqC0oNr
I noticed the owner. He sat alone at the counter, 610Please respect copyright.PENANAZaLGXcFypd
a tall glass of iced tea in front of him. Long wavy blonde 610Please respect copyright.PENANA1FSkJjaa7F
hair and beard. Skinny, how he can't always have enough 610Please respect copyright.PENANAD2NMSUmZ6t
to eat. He wore jeans that had seen better days, 610Please respect copyright.PENANA9AeRQdRoIk
, but they were clean, although his arms had the faintest of 610Please respect copyright.PENANAAIUi29ARcA
paint stains. He seemed to sense my 610Please respect copyright.PENANAED5s5FgugC
approach and turned the stool towards me.610Please respect copyright.PENANA4d899CJJsE
"Is that your dog?" I insist. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAD5wiBFBSRF
"Yes, ma'am, he is." 610Please respect copyright.PENANAcYsyxYGw7j
"He's out in the sun and has no water. I think he's 610Please respect copyright.PENANANZA5IGF93X
hungry too." I must have raised my voice because about 610Please respect copyright.PENANAjzc1omgabb
people looked at me. "Dogs like me, but he wouldn't even open both eyes when I talked to him." 610Please respect copyright.PENANA8vUd6rwaY5
The man smiled slowly and lightly. He slipped off the 610Please respect copyright.PENANAFW0bK7hZJr
stool. "That's because he wasn't properly 610Please respect copyright.PENANAHIA0H2O2rZ
introduced to you. Don't bother. I'll do the honors." 610Please respect copyright.PENANAB8fsRQlvpv
Introducing? I followed him outside. 610Please respect copyright.PENANACjG97uE4hZ
He crouched next to the dog, which was sitting up and 610Please respect copyright.PENANAyvr5jI0Ssf
turned his eyes to the owner. His tail came to life. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAegrnhW0RDS
"Madam, I don't know your name." 610Please respect copyright.PENANAxWAZpSInbF
"Marion". I leaned close to them. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAzzpUxeo6Sx
"Marion, I'd like you to meet Cheeseburger. 610Please respect copyright.PENANA9dnva6UduU
Cheeseburger, this lovely lady is Marion." The dog looked 610Please respect copyright.PENANAD285HaOmvy
straight in my eyes and offered a paw. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAW6HDOkFXzT
I took it. "Hey, cheeseburger," I said. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAjcdMrjCSVE
He licked my hand and his tail went in high. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAD1LjuGDVpy
"And I'm Johnny," said the man. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAluefnbV23K
"Johnny, I'm afraid he's thirsty." 610Please respect copyright.PENANAMN27UrauL4
"Oh, he's fine," she said. "This place was shady when 610Please respect copyright.PENANADj5eEYY8hS
I left him here just a few minutes ago." Johnny picked up his 610Please respect copyright.PENANAr0aF0VlK0S
handbag. "We've been together for nine years. Look, he has my cell number on his collar and he's vaccinated 610Please respect copyright.PENANAX2eQyKzUAw
." Johnny moved his bag under the Japanese maple 610Please respect copyright.PENANAETOQb95Qnl
and Cheeseburger sat 610Please respect copyright.PENANALlbr0KO1tN
next to it in the shade.610Please respect copyright.PENANAxyzG5SZsLf
"How far do you live from here?" I asked. 610Please respect copyright.PENANApv8nSM91oO
"Not far," he said. "Back in the woods, on the other side of 610Please respect copyright.PENANAJA7qWaNcdt
. We have a good tent." 610Please respect copyright.PENANA7bedvbaFJz
"But couldn't you go to the shelter?" 610Please respect copyright.PENANAUVSBaHCaLr
"They don't take a cheeseburger and I don't go anywhere without one," he said. Every time he said 610Please respect copyright.PENANAgWodIHDHfF
,610Please respect copyright.PENANApVaQT9Wyly
cheeseburgers, the dog's tail happily wagged 610Please respect copyright.PENANArixbAn5RVM
,610Please respect copyright.PENANAUnhJ4pttsB
back and forth. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAJQh1RPxmc6
"Johnny, I can't leave without a cheeseburger food and water," I said. "It's 610Please respect copyright.PENANA3pNsZhOKKn
, not you. It's just, well, I have this thing about dogs..." 610Please respect copyright.PENANAGjyQ0kQKdY
"Fine, if it makes you happy," he said. "I'll go back 610Please respect copyright.PENANA4O88rnw7kX
now and finish my drink... It was nice 610Please respect copyright.PENANAXOc9TdPhLT
meeting you, Marion. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAqA7qGPa9Q7
I locked up at Walgreen's and came back with a bowl, 610Please respect copyright.PENANABJSbUZUOCh
a large bottle of cold water, a bag of dog food, and 610Please respect copyright.PENANAXNfoAcy6SF
bones. Then I went in and picked up Johnny at 610Please respect copyright.PENANAi072oU9oJ5
restaurant. "I thought you should come with me while I give 610Please respect copyright.PENANAOnK8IG9QxU
food and water for a cheeseburger," I told him. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAhX3hbeS29i
"Okeydoke," he said. The cheeseburger stood Johnny 610Please respect copyright.PENANAs3LzTnDuqT
and I approached. I put the food down and he took 610Please respect copyright.PENANAXmnj3ziTHC
bites of it - mostly out of politeness. He covered enough 610Please respect copyright.PENANAJihklFeI8q
water. 610Please respect copyright.PENANALMcumPeDcj
"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." 610Please respect copyright.PENANAIjB35egFXm
"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. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAFguOSb32Sn
Johnny didn't seem to care. “That's how it works,” he said gently 610Please respect copyright.PENANAhew5ZcL76U
. “Every morning Cheeseburger and I get out of our tent 610Please respect copyright.PENANA8K85V7biq1
and look at the sky. And I say: Lord, we belong to you. We trust you. Take care of us one more day. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAariKR4RnPL
Thank you. ” And then at night, when we fall asleep, 610Please respect copyright.PENANAV6zL4uJ27S
I look at the stars and say: “God, we still trust You.” 610Please respect copyright.PENANAm4Fi1GDLIA
He smiled again—that slow, easy laugh. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAMxMr0w3yVo
I smiled back. There was just something about his 610Please respect copyright.PENANAMmj7aFUoDe
eyes that I liked. "Maybe I'll see you and the cheeseburger again sometime 610Please respect copyright.PENANAb6MIFwENUD
," I said. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAyq0Gpk0K5q
“Okeydoke. Me and the cheeseburger come here or go to 610Please respect copyright.PENANAqDDKdcDEYS
McDonalds most mornings. Then we walk down 610Please respect copyright.PENANAsAfpH7pO1i
to the post office. I am a painter by trade and I hope to find a job for 610Please respect copyright.PENANAPfYpBBqY6l
."610Please respect copyright.PENANAwf265mW4xc
There was a real calm about Johnny, even 610Please respect copyright.PENANAMakvrD6tO2
despite my unkind accusations. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAn5OaqqmMaH
I fished in my purse and found a twenty. 610Please respect copyright.PENANADhmYUS72Jf
"Can I have this?" I asked hesitantly, not knowing how 610Please respect copyright.PENANAcTZf8bGG39
was supposed to work. 610Please respect copyright.PENANAVihDSnkbmz
He did not hand over the bill, but looked at me with a 610Please respect copyright.PENANAlG2btdNCuZ
satisfied expression. "You don't have to. We're 610Please respect copyright.PENANAXlQKwHYndQ
doing pretty well." 610Please respect copyright.PENANAnHxIrklkFE
610Please respect copyright.PENANADIwuXL0iy1
"I would. Very much." 610Please respect copyright.PENANAb895cbNLPV
"Then I thank you, Marion. God bless you." 610Please respect copyright.PENANAGc7TyeeSqB
I went back to my car and turned on the 610Please respect copyright.PENANAjdZId8olER
air conditioner. At a red light I leaned forward and looked up at the 610Please respect copyright.PENANAUeCvXhum2U
blue cloudless sky. "Lord, I belong to you. I trust you 610Please respect copyright.PENANA7b0Fae1IKR
. Take care of me today. Thank you." 610Please respect copyright.PENANAUUDniGuK75
The light changed. I stepped onto the highway 610Please respect copyright.PENANA9covqLOpBo
fresh, not so much from the cool air, but from 610Please respect copyright.PENANAT2VpW38Ojp
. unmistakable peace, the same peace I saw in Johnny's eyes.610Please respect copyright.PENANANu7oqY0M6u
610Please respect copyright.PENANAGJ4OCMdgVn