~How a homeless man and his devoted partner assisted me in overcoming my~ ~spiritual depression~229Please respect copyright.PENANARBRP4CIK2C
By: Marion Bond West
229Please respect copyright.PENANAuGD2PXhETo
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. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAbDveop9kIF
The scorching heat didn't help — August here in Georgia 229Please respect copyright.PENANAooI4WofdTs
can be downright unbearable. It was 100 degrees today and 229Please respect copyright.PENANATIoKkYVv1J
was pretty sticky. I turned the car's A/C on full blast 229Please respect copyright.PENANAk3u2uLNWLg
and was ready to do my chores and head home. Then 229Please respect copyright.PENANAGQPOWT487e
I saw a dog. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAHVZMwxxqnG
He lay on an empty army green bag right next to the Applebee's restaurant and walked around. There is no shadow. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAiSNDBFI4r7
Asleep, or at least I hoped he was. He could have 229Please respect copyright.PENANAxbTmTaEz5K
died in this heat! I went in and found a parking space. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAsA2GdLAAtb
Then I hurried to the dog. I bowed. "Hey buddy. Are you 229Please respect copyright.PENANAZcFpwCb8aM
thirsty?" 229Please respect copyright.PENANAc1dnJsz9Js
I love dogs and they love me. But this one—he was 229Please respect copyright.PENANAF6LMW1k1s3
of medium height, black, gray around the muzzle—229Please respect copyright.PENANAlc2FMwbjau
opened one eye, closed it, and turned his head away from me. On purpose. His tail did not slide. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAbE9P7fJeYF
He had a collar and by the way was guarding 229Please respect copyright.PENANAJBgEDKxjTx
's bag, I thought he was waiting for his owner 229Please respect copyright.PENANA0bqlrmX8Hd
who was undoubtedly sitting in the air-conditioned condition of the restaurant! 229Please respect copyright.PENANAwzVyKXwiZQ
I stormed into Applebee's ready for battle. Immediately at 229Please respect copyright.PENANAJckHwUiPLr
I noticed the owner. He sat alone at the counter, 229Please respect copyright.PENANAWZ6XzpFR7R
a tall glass of iced tea in front of him. Long wavy blonde 229Please respect copyright.PENANABcEDyEexF7
hair and beard. Skinny, how he can't always have enough 229Please respect copyright.PENANAAyocuEOzTy
to eat. He wore jeans that had seen better days, 229Please respect copyright.PENANAhZtRqgvhQL
, but they were clean, although his arms had the faintest of 229Please respect copyright.PENANAKrMSRtx5g1
paint stains. He seemed to sense my 229Please respect copyright.PENANAYAy5ug8xcl
approach and turned the stool towards me.229Please respect copyright.PENANAJqa4kKztVB
"Is that your dog?" I insist. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAI84kNwzM5j
"Yes, ma'am, he is." 229Please respect copyright.PENANAJPTP45x58P
"He's out in the sun and has no water. I think he's 229Please respect copyright.PENANAB4q8dDkEi7
hungry too." I must have raised my voice because about 229Please respect copyright.PENANAsbCLkP7rH2
people looked at me. "Dogs like me, but he wouldn't even open both eyes when I talked to him." 229Please respect copyright.PENANAnChzyeXRyV
The man smiled slowly and lightly. He slipped off the 229Please respect copyright.PENANAcDRhmYgxBr
stool. "That's because he wasn't properly 229Please respect copyright.PENANAaq86P6EngY
introduced to you. Don't bother. I'll do the honors." 229Please respect copyright.PENANAtLmXxu8e15
Introducing? I followed him outside. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAgpQ3Gw8h02
He crouched next to the dog, which was sitting up and 229Please respect copyright.PENANAanEJxUKqSl
turned his eyes to the owner. His tail came to life. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAWEH2e1o2nh
"Madam, I don't know your name." 229Please respect copyright.PENANAkJ6baZt9lS
"Marion". I leaned close to them. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAmABACA7wNt
"Marion, I'd like you to meet Cheeseburger. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAsPpb4Hcq5J
Cheeseburger, this lovely lady is Marion." The dog looked 229Please respect copyright.PENANArvcIoCtiG4
straight in my eyes and offered a paw. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAaP9KP6U5ds
I took it. "Hey, cheeseburger," I said. 229Please respect copyright.PENANABbIk19Y42M
He licked my hand and his tail went in high. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAvwRWCZqatF
"And I'm Johnny," said the man. 229Please respect copyright.PENANADR9w5B1ZEk
"Johnny, I'm afraid he's thirsty." 229Please respect copyright.PENANAAgo5e8Rx53
"Oh, he's fine," she said. "This place was shady when 229Please respect copyright.PENANAvFCTN81L1G
I left him here just a few minutes ago." Johnny picked up his 229Please respect copyright.PENANAcdmbQKj5Ts
handbag. "We've been together for nine years. Look, he has my cell number on his collar and he's vaccinated 229Please respect copyright.PENANAwWRZxllu60
." Johnny moved his bag under the Japanese maple 229Please respect copyright.PENANAqYUQtUVjZA
and Cheeseburger sat 229Please respect copyright.PENANALx1Z993VTC
next to it in the shade.229Please respect copyright.PENANA1UTvM2aDaC
"How far do you live from here?" I asked. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAl7Uuyi5B3m
"Not far," he said. "Back in the woods, on the other side of 229Please respect copyright.PENANAOSVSsa87nR
. We have a good tent." 229Please respect copyright.PENANAfxGazaqZ5I
"But couldn't you go to the shelter?" 229Please respect copyright.PENANAWZKXTehQVk
"They don't take a cheeseburger and I don't go anywhere without one," he said. Every time he said 229Please respect copyright.PENANAAKTm22Xih3
,229Please respect copyright.PENANAOgS9zjOfPx
cheeseburgers, the dog's tail happily wagged 229Please respect copyright.PENANAzyuQmb5t3f
,229Please respect copyright.PENANAcEw1WuqBev
back and forth. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAfDeqfSHAx2
"Johnny, I can't leave without a cheeseburger food and water," I said. "It's 229Please respect copyright.PENANAADyG0GY5pL
, not you. It's just, well, I have this thing about dogs..." 229Please respect copyright.PENANAoPY2jELwLh
"Fine, if it makes you happy," he said. "I'll go back 229Please respect copyright.PENANAnf5i2Fbep3
now and finish my drink... It was nice 229Please respect copyright.PENANAdmSsbxRric
meeting you, Marion. 229Please respect copyright.PENANA5smkeQQ9QC
I locked up at Walgreen's and came back with a bowl, 229Please respect copyright.PENANAc2UHabiwEz
a large bottle of cold water, a bag of dog food, and 229Please respect copyright.PENANAHRj6lEKiU4
bones. Then I went in and picked up Johnny at 229Please respect copyright.PENANAB7DUIE64I5
restaurant. "I thought you should come with me while I give 229Please respect copyright.PENANATVVvAFZ8JZ
food and water for a cheeseburger," I told him. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAAdD8Rt7UTg
"Okeydoke," he said. The cheeseburger stood Johnny 229Please respect copyright.PENANAclFY4n1qhP
and I approached. I put the food down and he took 229Please respect copyright.PENANAzJe45XSAew
bites of it - mostly out of politeness. He covered enough 229Please respect copyright.PENANAs6f5OplJqJ
water. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAYlgVfTm8DS
"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." 229Please respect copyright.PENANAO4UOpWAaGV
"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. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAnDsdZ6OEs9
Johnny didn't seem to care. “That's how it works,” he said gently 229Please respect copyright.PENANAIZ4IqZDHhf
. “Every morning Cheeseburger and I get out of our tent 229Please respect copyright.PENANAvkMHK3pwbx
and look at the sky. And I say: Lord, we belong to you. We trust you. Take care of us one more day. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAKOU21mHnQG
Thank you. ” And then at night, when we fall asleep, 229Please respect copyright.PENANAkMuAHIx6eo
I look at the stars and say: “God, we still trust You.” 229Please respect copyright.PENANAVsX40PuDgI
He smiled again—that slow, easy laugh. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAUZN5JaoD18
I smiled back. There was just something about his 229Please respect copyright.PENANAnHLccmVxCw
eyes that I liked. "Maybe I'll see you and the cheeseburger again sometime 229Please respect copyright.PENANAuJ8XB42QNy
," I said. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAKv808ZLHfw
“Okeydoke. Me and the cheeseburger come here or go to 229Please respect copyright.PENANApCSgvjnc6l
McDonalds most mornings. Then we walk down 229Please respect copyright.PENANA7CruFkP3TD
to the post office. I am a painter by trade and I hope to find a job for 229Please respect copyright.PENANAeqHd6ybhqB
."229Please respect copyright.PENANA6VuoX9JHqd
There was a real calm about Johnny, even 229Please respect copyright.PENANANdBDWATrCB
despite my unkind accusations. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAlmI4EIHylM
I fished in my purse and found a twenty. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAB3O0X4Z19P
"Can I have this?" I asked hesitantly, not knowing how 229Please respect copyright.PENANAYmLmIwK8id
was supposed to work. 229Please respect copyright.PENANAOYsYA8VQo4
He did not hand over the bill, but looked at me with a 229Please respect copyright.PENANAFflqAAh9IR
satisfied expression. "You don't have to. We're 229Please respect copyright.PENANAG7QXMUUWzS
doing pretty well." 229Please respect copyright.PENANA5JFiwDoHsI
229Please respect copyright.PENANAI3B1RI8MaE
"I would. Very much." 229Please respect copyright.PENANAAl8i8hmi2J
"Then I thank you, Marion. God bless you." 229Please respect copyright.PENANA9cx9mEA3T5
I went back to my car and turned on the 229Please respect copyright.PENANAz7DukQJLHP
air conditioner. At a red light I leaned forward and looked up at the 229Please respect copyright.PENANArc7RAOHKsj
blue cloudless sky. "Lord, I belong to you. I trust you 229Please respect copyright.PENANAzoGonSFbn5
. Take care of me today. Thank you." 229Please respect copyright.PENANABGCeozyoUD
The light changed. I stepped onto the highway 229Please respect copyright.PENANA4lahnF23UM
fresh, not so much from the cool air, but from 229Please respect copyright.PENANANqHc17m1ps
. unmistakable peace, the same peace I saw in Johnny's eyes.229Please respect copyright.PENANAnNgbjomkDJ
229Please respect copyright.PENANAAKawKX29HG