The man slowly looked up. This was a woman clearly
accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like that
she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she
wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done
before.
"Leave me alone," he growled.
To his amazement, the
woman continued standing. She was smiling -- her even white
teeth displayed in dazzling rows. "Are you hungry?" she
asked.
"No," he answered sarcastically. "I've just come from dining with
the president. Now go away." The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly
the man felt a gentle hand under his arm.
"What are you doing,
lady?" the man asked angrily. "I said to leave me alone.
Just then a
policeman came up. "Is there any problem, ma'am?" he asked..
"No problem
here, officer," the woman answered. "I'm just trying to get this man to his
feet. Will you help me?"
The officer scratched his head. "That's old
Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want
with him?"
"See that cafeteria over there?" she asked. "I'm going to
get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile."
"Are
you crazy, lady?" the homeless man resisted. "I don't want to go in there!"
Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up.
"Let me
go, officer. I didn't do anything."
"This is a good deal for you,
Jack," the officer answered. "Don't blow it.."
Finally, and with some
difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat
him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of
the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived.
The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his
table.
"What's going on here, officer?" he asked. "What is all this.
Is this man in trouble?"
"This lady brought this man in here to be
fed," the policeman answered.
"Not in here!" the manager replied
angrily. "Having a person like that here is bad for business."
Old
Jack smiled a toothless grin. "See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me
go. I didn't want to come here in the first place."
The woman turned
to the cafeteria manager and smiled. "Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and
Associates, the banking firm down the
street?"
"Of course I am," the manager answered impatiently. "They
hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms."
"And do you make
a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?"
"What
business is that of yours?"
I,
sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company."
"Oh."
The woman smiled again. "I thought that might make a difference."
She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. "Would you like to join
us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?"
"No thanks, ma'am,"
the officer replied. "I'm on duty."
"Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee
to go?"
"Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice."
The
cafeteria manager turned on his heel, "I'll get your coffee for you right away,
officer."
The officer watched him walk away. "You certainly put him in
his place," he said.
"That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I
have a reason for all this."
She sat down at the table across from
her amazed dinner guest She stared at him intently. "Jack, do you remember me?"
Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes "I think so -- I
mean you do look familiar."
"I'm a little older perhaps," she said.
"Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here,
and I came through that very door, cold and hungry."
"Ma'am?" the
officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently
turned out woman could ever have been hungry.
"I was just out of
college," the woman began. "I had come to the city looking for a job, but I
couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been
kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and
I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off
chance that I could get something to eat."
Jack
lit up with a smile. "Now I remember," he said. "I was behind the serving
counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said
that it was against company policy."
"I know," the woman continued.
"Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave
me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I
was afraid that you would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over, I saw you
put the price of my food in the cash register I knew then that everything would
be all right."
"So you started your own business?" Old Jack
said.
"I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way
up. Eventually I started my own business, that, with the help of God,
prospered." She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. "When you are
finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He's the personnel
director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find
something for you to do around the office." She smiled. "I think he might even
find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes
and get a place to live until you get on your feet. If you ever need anything,
my door is always opened to you."
There were tears in the old man's
eyes. "How can I ever thank you? " he said.
"Don't thank me," the woman
answered. "To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus... He led me to
you."
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the
entrance before going their separate ways. "Thank you for all your help,
officer," she said.
"On the contrary, Ms. Eddy," he answered. "Thank
you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And...And thank
you for the coffee."
If you have missed knowing me, you have missed
nothing. If you have missed some of my emails, you might have missed a
laugh.
But, if you have missed knowing my LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS
CHRIST, you have missed everything in the world.
Have a Wonderful Day. May
God Bless You Always. And don't forget that when you "cast your
bread upon the waters," you never know how it will be
returned to you.
(Hope
this is repeated many times today!)
God
is so big He can cover the whole world with his Love and so small He can curl up
inside your
heart.
AmenWow!!! That is such a beautiful story!!
Copyright ArthritisInsight.com