~How a homeless man and his devoted partner assisted me in overcoming my~ ~spiritual depression~238Please respect copyright.PENANA0E54eSA4pT
By: Marion Bond West
238Please respect copyright.PENANAzxXtstZCWY
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. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAbco7x5o5uh
The scorching heat didn't help — August here in Georgia 238Please respect copyright.PENANAkwkEfdVP7H
can be downright unbearable. It was 100 degrees today and 238Please respect copyright.PENANA9bD52HkOwn
was pretty sticky. I turned the car's A/C on full blast 238Please respect copyright.PENANAriSAFFlTmA
and was ready to do my chores and head home. Then 238Please respect copyright.PENANAjmisPdVSEg
I saw a dog. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAbZJV0U5Pix
He lay on an empty army green bag right next to the Applebee's restaurant and walked around. There is no shadow. 238Please respect copyright.PENANARH4YbKbTC5
Asleep, or at least I hoped he was. He could have 238Please respect copyright.PENANA3GyD2Bdp4k
died in this heat! I went in and found a parking space. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAqscKhzHxSE
Then I hurried to the dog. I bowed. "Hey buddy. Are you 238Please respect copyright.PENANAGnhjF91Rpz
thirsty?" 238Please respect copyright.PENANAcvxHEQ7Yge
I love dogs and they love me. But this one—he was 238Please respect copyright.PENANAmLkjbp7zs3
of medium height, black, gray around the muzzle—238Please respect copyright.PENANAhZiVRZAtxf
opened one eye, closed it, and turned his head away from me. On purpose. His tail did not slide. 238Please respect copyright.PENANA7yNgkhEEBg
He had a collar and by the way was guarding 238Please respect copyright.PENANAhFSz5P2VXF
's bag, I thought he was waiting for his owner 238Please respect copyright.PENANAC0xmEo0DP5
who was undoubtedly sitting in the air-conditioned condition of the restaurant! 238Please respect copyright.PENANAogReqYh2OF
I stormed into Applebee's ready for battle. Immediately at 238Please respect copyright.PENANA2msGzoK7aW
I noticed the owner. He sat alone at the counter, 238Please respect copyright.PENANAdyXuxUNulQ
a tall glass of iced tea in front of him. Long wavy blonde 238Please respect copyright.PENANAgqMg4TiNn2
hair and beard. Skinny, how he can't always have enough 238Please respect copyright.PENANAxbUF0aI7xV
to eat. He wore jeans that had seen better days, 238Please respect copyright.PENANAAuhvFzfPCs
, but they were clean, although his arms had the faintest of 238Please respect copyright.PENANAl7uzeepMB4
paint stains. He seemed to sense my 238Please respect copyright.PENANAKO0m9EwJNe
approach and turned the stool towards me.238Please respect copyright.PENANAxrBeDJGwWo
"Is that your dog?" I insist. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAQdAvkrKn6L
"Yes, ma'am, he is." 238Please respect copyright.PENANA1NvrtWAdBU
"He's out in the sun and has no water. I think he's 238Please respect copyright.PENANADVHhva8hrM
hungry too." I must have raised my voice because about 238Please respect copyright.PENANAZcsAjbzgdB
people looked at me. "Dogs like me, but he wouldn't even open both eyes when I talked to him." 238Please respect copyright.PENANAmi7pxYNM33
The man smiled slowly and lightly. He slipped off the 238Please respect copyright.PENANA2if7Bm6RXY
stool. "That's because he wasn't properly 238Please respect copyright.PENANAkXfStpSvDO
introduced to you. Don't bother. I'll do the honors." 238Please respect copyright.PENANAqnkE7zywg5
Introducing? I followed him outside. 238Please respect copyright.PENANATaRP8B5xvg
He crouched next to the dog, which was sitting up and 238Please respect copyright.PENANA2EJlis3zkv
turned his eyes to the owner. His tail came to life. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAoCLQMos6OX
"Madam, I don't know your name." 238Please respect copyright.PENANAkWnK3599vB
"Marion". I leaned close to them. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAQJoAFLeTDE
"Marion, I'd like you to meet Cheeseburger. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAFmuhXYZsw2
Cheeseburger, this lovely lady is Marion." The dog looked 238Please respect copyright.PENANAgLFnwxvikI
straight in my eyes and offered a paw. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAaQCgqOac7j
I took it. "Hey, cheeseburger," I said. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAf79wPnoIql
He licked my hand and his tail went in high. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAk0DinHITMc
"And I'm Johnny," said the man. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAcEjJ9D7jGA
"Johnny, I'm afraid he's thirsty." 238Please respect copyright.PENANAi7Cifnev72
"Oh, he's fine," she said. "This place was shady when 238Please respect copyright.PENANAFXaUOfCbvs
I left him here just a few minutes ago." Johnny picked up his 238Please respect copyright.PENANAFonCtRYCKg
handbag. "We've been together for nine years. Look, he has my cell number on his collar and he's vaccinated 238Please respect copyright.PENANAyDJmDolvg9
." Johnny moved his bag under the Japanese maple 238Please respect copyright.PENANAZatRbDtpTY
and Cheeseburger sat 238Please respect copyright.PENANAq3N6JQCzZj
next to it in the shade.238Please respect copyright.PENANAaElqg2wwHX
"How far do you live from here?" I asked. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAibMKtprk1P
"Not far," he said. "Back in the woods, on the other side of 238Please respect copyright.PENANAj4ULEIjPtv
. We have a good tent." 238Please respect copyright.PENANAbArdljgMS4
"But couldn't you go to the shelter?" 238Please respect copyright.PENANA59BLaceF89
"They don't take a cheeseburger and I don't go anywhere without one," he said. Every time he said 238Please respect copyright.PENANA96h3FCBIZu
,238Please respect copyright.PENANA2p9vm0Ovci
cheeseburgers, the dog's tail happily wagged 238Please respect copyright.PENANA2kJev2PDAh
,238Please respect copyright.PENANAe4QCqvpttP
back and forth. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAtn9HxbJlI7
"Johnny, I can't leave without a cheeseburger food and water," I said. "It's 238Please respect copyright.PENANA37WKSWLjUX
, not you. It's just, well, I have this thing about dogs..." 238Please respect copyright.PENANArWGcA8zhFD
"Fine, if it makes you happy," he said. "I'll go back 238Please respect copyright.PENANALmfXp3A2LY
now and finish my drink... It was nice 238Please respect copyright.PENANArccD7aMmq5
meeting you, Marion. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAixB1C6Oja7
I locked up at Walgreen's and came back with a bowl, 238Please respect copyright.PENANAlHkStMeq1s
a large bottle of cold water, a bag of dog food, and 238Please respect copyright.PENANAkSFSV6zlW3
bones. Then I went in and picked up Johnny at 238Please respect copyright.PENANAFyHVgdx8JU
restaurant. "I thought you should come with me while I give 238Please respect copyright.PENANAlJFq8KDXiQ
food and water for a cheeseburger," I told him. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAHETW0uRafF
"Okeydoke," he said. The cheeseburger stood Johnny 238Please respect copyright.PENANA9aE3cOD8kD
and I approached. I put the food down and he took 238Please respect copyright.PENANAmz9S8qzrOC
bites of it - mostly out of politeness. He covered enough 238Please respect copyright.PENANAXd0WOjJ627
water. 238Please respect copyright.PENANALa6o6teTdE
"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." 238Please respect copyright.PENANAO8tB0dQYlK
"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. 238Please respect copyright.PENANABZjhkr78S9
Johnny didn't seem to care. “That's how it works,” he said gently 238Please respect copyright.PENANA5zbHuhFHEc
. “Every morning Cheeseburger and I get out of our tent 238Please respect copyright.PENANA0X5bdKfE7J
and look at the sky. And I say: Lord, we belong to you. We trust you. Take care of us one more day. 238Please respect copyright.PENANA27kIg1L8rI
Thank you. ” And then at night, when we fall asleep, 238Please respect copyright.PENANAFAztQ4M0wU
I look at the stars and say: “God, we still trust You.” 238Please respect copyright.PENANAyoU0KZO6Io
He smiled again—that slow, easy laugh. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAIhgC31Kxuv
I smiled back. There was just something about his 238Please respect copyright.PENANAhAFo5LHvIA
eyes that I liked. "Maybe I'll see you and the cheeseburger again sometime 238Please respect copyright.PENANAvsJUgqJNca
," I said. 238Please respect copyright.PENANABIIbsFEs9G
“Okeydoke. Me and the cheeseburger come here or go to 238Please respect copyright.PENANAFlY20APFBO
McDonalds most mornings. Then we walk down 238Please respect copyright.PENANAnxty9MehPj
to the post office. I am a painter by trade and I hope to find a job for 238Please respect copyright.PENANA5T6Kv7pqW7
."238Please respect copyright.PENANAqX7s0HmewW
There was a real calm about Johnny, even 238Please respect copyright.PENANAbRLFZF8QA4
despite my unkind accusations. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAaT7zTIG5Wr
I fished in my purse and found a twenty. 238Please respect copyright.PENANALTreRg9xEU
"Can I have this?" I asked hesitantly, not knowing how 238Please respect copyright.PENANAjQcroF4cH0
was supposed to work. 238Please respect copyright.PENANAxkCq36rU2N
He did not hand over the bill, but looked at me with a 238Please respect copyright.PENANASbMz1rKCPC
satisfied expression. "You don't have to. We're 238Please respect copyright.PENANADTm74rHMcp
doing pretty well." 238Please respect copyright.PENANA8DZxOzQKGe
238Please respect copyright.PENANA0ecTr4OlH0
"I would. Very much." 238Please respect copyright.PENANASE6fTGk7CA
"Then I thank you, Marion. God bless you." 238Please respect copyright.PENANAWbwrhrdBkY
I went back to my car and turned on the 238Please respect copyright.PENANA9YmCiQ4r77
air conditioner. At a red light I leaned forward and looked up at the 238Please respect copyright.PENANADY6DOColYF
blue cloudless sky. "Lord, I belong to you. I trust you 238Please respect copyright.PENANAOZRX1RVKDo
. Take care of me today. Thank you." 238Please respect copyright.PENANA03aenVZydN
The light changed. I stepped onto the highway 238Please respect copyright.PENANA9PMZRK6239
fresh, not so much from the cool air, but from 238Please respect copyright.PENANAwL2p4kqpma
. unmistakable peace, the same peace I saw in Johnny's eyes.238Please respect copyright.PENANArotOT6aFzi
238Please respect copyright.PENANABgxgAdavcz