~How a homeless man and his devoted partner assisted me in overcoming my~ ~spiritual depression~609Please respect copyright.PENANAciHFzHkJew
By: Marion Bond West
609Please respect copyright.PENANAfqVLAKDxZp
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. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAKFHyOwRox6
The scorching heat didn't help — August here in Georgia 609Please respect copyright.PENANAFJGEY45ePq
can be downright unbearable. It was 100 degrees today and 609Please respect copyright.PENANAzXO8o1WtTU
was pretty sticky. I turned the car's A/C on full blast 609Please respect copyright.PENANAHIuejOLP15
and was ready to do my chores and head home. Then 609Please respect copyright.PENANAZTDbSmtxQ6
I saw a dog. 609Please respect copyright.PENANADsFJMqMZI1
He lay on an empty army green bag right next to the Applebee's restaurant and walked around. There is no shadow. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAt7EqJyxLcf
Asleep, or at least I hoped he was. He could have 609Please respect copyright.PENANADrMvKwu61b
died in this heat! I went in and found a parking space. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAcVid2m6wzl
Then I hurried to the dog. I bowed. "Hey buddy. Are you 609Please respect copyright.PENANAXljCFILcKb
thirsty?" 609Please respect copyright.PENANAnEk30cXxjI
I love dogs and they love me. But this one—he was 609Please respect copyright.PENANAmcOEokx7Fr
of medium height, black, gray around the muzzle—609Please respect copyright.PENANAZKy8p8Gdum
opened one eye, closed it, and turned his head away from me. On purpose. His tail did not slide. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAGQSb3yjODF
He had a collar and by the way was guarding 609Please respect copyright.PENANAeBYleQwNC4
's bag, I thought he was waiting for his owner 609Please respect copyright.PENANAfFAr1r34MX
who was undoubtedly sitting in the air-conditioned condition of the restaurant! 609Please respect copyright.PENANAEvL8wgZyGo
I stormed into Applebee's ready for battle. Immediately at 609Please respect copyright.PENANAQ89XuO0M4P
I noticed the owner. He sat alone at the counter, 609Please respect copyright.PENANAN0n1ypouhy
a tall glass of iced tea in front of him. Long wavy blonde 609Please respect copyright.PENANAktb0woVA3a
hair and beard. Skinny, how he can't always have enough 609Please respect copyright.PENANATvroAaCaUZ
to eat. He wore jeans that had seen better days, 609Please respect copyright.PENANAdwdlrjOXfA
, but they were clean, although his arms had the faintest of 609Please respect copyright.PENANAV0MwkIWQxx
paint stains. He seemed to sense my 609Please respect copyright.PENANAJ4wP91480n
approach and turned the stool towards me.609Please respect copyright.PENANAwh0Tu62IC4
"Is that your dog?" I insist. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAKVrCzx9czc
"Yes, ma'am, he is." 609Please respect copyright.PENANAFxDnTi5PpU
"He's out in the sun and has no water. I think he's 609Please respect copyright.PENANAmCKzv9l1vL
hungry too." I must have raised my voice because about 609Please respect copyright.PENANAAJxIvxaQ7m
people looked at me. "Dogs like me, but he wouldn't even open both eyes when I talked to him." 609Please respect copyright.PENANA4dbbrOCMSh
The man smiled slowly and lightly. He slipped off the 609Please respect copyright.PENANA3rH7ZzMt7r
stool. "That's because he wasn't properly 609Please respect copyright.PENANAWIjHOtUGLn
introduced to you. Don't bother. I'll do the honors." 609Please respect copyright.PENANAlIEYkNwB0i
Introducing? I followed him outside. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAXpVSYAc7kO
He crouched next to the dog, which was sitting up and 609Please respect copyright.PENANAHBT3iosj3G
turned his eyes to the owner. His tail came to life. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAPqlc2LtMTW
"Madam, I don't know your name." 609Please respect copyright.PENANASBBM4y5Ocp
"Marion". I leaned close to them. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAwEWTW0G1dC
"Marion, I'd like you to meet Cheeseburger. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAzSvVYG7zJV
Cheeseburger, this lovely lady is Marion." The dog looked 609Please respect copyright.PENANA8cCzmBUjZu
straight in my eyes and offered a paw. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAmCN4eXWB5z
I took it. "Hey, cheeseburger," I said. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAfwYuQhyYMz
He licked my hand and his tail went in high. 609Please respect copyright.PENANArRvFV49M3K
"And I'm Johnny," said the man. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAdq80TczNk1
"Johnny, I'm afraid he's thirsty." 609Please respect copyright.PENANAVC3A4CA1jV
"Oh, he's fine," she said. "This place was shady when 609Please respect copyright.PENANAyVj1uonhND
I left him here just a few minutes ago." Johnny picked up his 609Please respect copyright.PENANAeG5LYkMmaD
handbag. "We've been together for nine years. Look, he has my cell number on his collar and he's vaccinated 609Please respect copyright.PENANAVC2ql6XKsQ
." Johnny moved his bag under the Japanese maple 609Please respect copyright.PENANAVRwN2Cjnvw
and Cheeseburger sat 609Please respect copyright.PENANAxnEVStjArV
next to it in the shade.609Please respect copyright.PENANAEKPUVOtzsx
"How far do you live from here?" I asked. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAK2LC9axccY
"Not far," he said. "Back in the woods, on the other side of 609Please respect copyright.PENANAZFGxb6uL7D
. We have a good tent." 609Please respect copyright.PENANAACH7xgm4Vq
"But couldn't you go to the shelter?" 609Please respect copyright.PENANAxRHjH41avY
"They don't take a cheeseburger and I don't go anywhere without one," he said. Every time he said 609Please respect copyright.PENANAlKi7eoYvH2
,609Please respect copyright.PENANAoOJmoJIFu5
cheeseburgers, the dog's tail happily wagged 609Please respect copyright.PENANAzdRfVWqO9w
,609Please respect copyright.PENANAMbgFst5y44
back and forth. 609Please respect copyright.PENANARJ7V82QQC6
"Johnny, I can't leave without a cheeseburger food and water," I said. "It's 609Please respect copyright.PENANAPyKuY6RFyz
, not you. It's just, well, I have this thing about dogs..." 609Please respect copyright.PENANA891t5sZzAc
"Fine, if it makes you happy," he said. "I'll go back 609Please respect copyright.PENANAt6ZQDrDmTI
now and finish my drink... It was nice 609Please respect copyright.PENANAVOhMSXoR8D
meeting you, Marion. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAz7xDzPE4g9
I locked up at Walgreen's and came back with a bowl, 609Please respect copyright.PENANA3fBQFOFtWQ
a large bottle of cold water, a bag of dog food, and 609Please respect copyright.PENANA5P0YaVbcf8
bones. Then I went in and picked up Johnny at 609Please respect copyright.PENANAX2E1Roq6Pi
restaurant. "I thought you should come with me while I give 609Please respect copyright.PENANAMVwDIhBy5V
food and water for a cheeseburger," I told him. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAxTGAxoK6Vn
"Okeydoke," he said. The cheeseburger stood Johnny 609Please respect copyright.PENANAlxCojS7q6y
and I approached. I put the food down and he took 609Please respect copyright.PENANACTSWKfHYFZ
bites of it - mostly out of politeness. He covered enough 609Please respect copyright.PENANA2rIJ8Jl5kR
water. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAWKIRK8c3Kj
"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." 609Please respect copyright.PENANAru8FXAvc8r
"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. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAoBneMhWxwJ
Johnny didn't seem to care. “That's how it works,” he said gently 609Please respect copyright.PENANAWDYOMpPYLZ
. “Every morning Cheeseburger and I get out of our tent 609Please respect copyright.PENANA5leLv3oKJn
and look at the sky. And I say: Lord, we belong to you. We trust you. Take care of us one more day. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAowLtndKiEX
Thank you. ” And then at night, when we fall asleep, 609Please respect copyright.PENANA4LoB4F6YV7
I look at the stars and say: “God, we still trust You.” 609Please respect copyright.PENANAQG3Z3mlFck
He smiled again—that slow, easy laugh. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAR7ljHLN05S
I smiled back. There was just something about his 609Please respect copyright.PENANAOSOyeyR9ox
eyes that I liked. "Maybe I'll see you and the cheeseburger again sometime 609Please respect copyright.PENANAD5cN9Lbitk
," I said. 609Please respect copyright.PENANA2MUY6Q75Lq
“Okeydoke. Me and the cheeseburger come here or go to 609Please respect copyright.PENANAEfjjWEeut1
McDonalds most mornings. Then we walk down 609Please respect copyright.PENANARnGbITqDiu
to the post office. I am a painter by trade and I hope to find a job for 609Please respect copyright.PENANAFcsbZjtSrh
."609Please respect copyright.PENANALirumcw2Or
There was a real calm about Johnny, even 609Please respect copyright.PENANAwWUwmUoZhZ
despite my unkind accusations. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAEc4JaaCEo0
I fished in my purse and found a twenty. 609Please respect copyright.PENANAMU1tUCKHco
"Can I have this?" I asked hesitantly, not knowing how 609Please respect copyright.PENANA2im8AwBB4t
was supposed to work. 609Please respect copyright.PENANApNoQvd29rY
He did not hand over the bill, but looked at me with a 609Please respect copyright.PENANAfH6wGwfgmD
satisfied expression. "You don't have to. We're 609Please respect copyright.PENANAZie3pENFeg
doing pretty well." 609Please respect copyright.PENANAsmERlocDTp
609Please respect copyright.PENANAv3iokJ6N4x
"I would. Very much." 609Please respect copyright.PENANAJlaH0aA38j
"Then I thank you, Marion. God bless you." 609Please respect copyright.PENANACva7VP2gnW
I went back to my car and turned on the 609Please respect copyright.PENANAjWrUtJGIaM
air conditioner. At a red light I leaned forward and looked up at the 609Please respect copyright.PENANA0CfFzom9PX
blue cloudless sky. "Lord, I belong to you. I trust you 609Please respect copyright.PENANA8JRUGzdtbk
. Take care of me today. Thank you." 609Please respect copyright.PENANAyFmU2tzZQm
The light changed. I stepped onto the highway 609Please respect copyright.PENANAnqusqa21d6
fresh, not so much from the cool air, but from 609Please respect copyright.PENANAFKhIvIGsHE
. unmistakable peace, the same peace I saw in Johnny's eyes.609Please respect copyright.PENANAfS2l6cIS6M
609Please respect copyright.PENANAGTxnKJ5wc0