~How a homeless man and his devoted partner assisted me in overcoming my~ ~spiritual depression~230Please respect copyright.PENANAmmWNylqsDd
By: Marion Bond West
230Please respect copyright.PENANAQcJP1XiLNT
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. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAD0bI2Vn4Bz
The scorching heat didn't help — August here in Georgia 230Please respect copyright.PENANAaPkc3KyVON
can be downright unbearable. It was 100 degrees today and 230Please respect copyright.PENANAkLIZ9sBRtq
was pretty sticky. I turned the car's A/C on full blast 230Please respect copyright.PENANACRwXVmAHyJ
and was ready to do my chores and head home. Then 230Please respect copyright.PENANAzhJNLy2xbn
I saw a dog. 230Please respect copyright.PENANA3wherw2RJd
He lay on an empty army green bag right next to the Applebee's restaurant and walked around. There is no shadow. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAqHyFslSv8P
Asleep, or at least I hoped he was. He could have 230Please respect copyright.PENANA71evNwXmrc
died in this heat! I went in and found a parking space. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAlt1Ln1m01B
Then I hurried to the dog. I bowed. "Hey buddy. Are you 230Please respect copyright.PENANA15IwKJCd1j
thirsty?" 230Please respect copyright.PENANAWg80PWEBlh
I love dogs and they love me. But this one—he was 230Please respect copyright.PENANAS3spmAyQpH
of medium height, black, gray around the muzzle—230Please respect copyright.PENANAIw37vCV3DX
opened one eye, closed it, and turned his head away from me. On purpose. His tail did not slide. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAzFpN2xVExc
He had a collar and by the way was guarding 230Please respect copyright.PENANAVxIxmLQp4R
's bag, I thought he was waiting for his owner 230Please respect copyright.PENANA8Z0Aphofdz
who was undoubtedly sitting in the air-conditioned condition of the restaurant! 230Please respect copyright.PENANAt42a9zkhwg
I stormed into Applebee's ready for battle. Immediately at 230Please respect copyright.PENANAiCZU2iGbG7
I noticed the owner. He sat alone at the counter, 230Please respect copyright.PENANAdmo5Nbwqv2
a tall glass of iced tea in front of him. Long wavy blonde 230Please respect copyright.PENANAxkHks5ZzV3
hair and beard. Skinny, how he can't always have enough 230Please respect copyright.PENANAvLOLDCOwRW
to eat. He wore jeans that had seen better days, 230Please respect copyright.PENANAkLrUWBLPrH
, but they were clean, although his arms had the faintest of 230Please respect copyright.PENANABidJEKr6B5
paint stains. He seemed to sense my 230Please respect copyright.PENANA6qM6fJM5PU
approach and turned the stool towards me.230Please respect copyright.PENANADSsEo5dLjy
"Is that your dog?" I insist. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAcDLF8NFqOL
"Yes, ma'am, he is." 230Please respect copyright.PENANAwL6Sa8Mzv8
"He's out in the sun and has no water. I think he's 230Please respect copyright.PENANAT6anW0KtMQ
hungry too." I must have raised my voice because about 230Please respect copyright.PENANAavZNTKmrk5
people looked at me. "Dogs like me, but he wouldn't even open both eyes when I talked to him." 230Please respect copyright.PENANA0eUkXpVAnt
The man smiled slowly and lightly. He slipped off the 230Please respect copyright.PENANAtKakDZhCzt
stool. "That's because he wasn't properly 230Please respect copyright.PENANA6rPBQSQ3ss
introduced to you. Don't bother. I'll do the honors." 230Please respect copyright.PENANAXxEEqbApb9
Introducing? I followed him outside. 230Please respect copyright.PENANA3x7BDQyhlP
He crouched next to the dog, which was sitting up and 230Please respect copyright.PENANARifwfmLGtc
turned his eyes to the owner. His tail came to life. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAxljtStwKlq
"Madam, I don't know your name." 230Please respect copyright.PENANAks00TaoiD1
"Marion". I leaned close to them. 230Please respect copyright.PENANANBKi2aBtDx
"Marion, I'd like you to meet Cheeseburger. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAfPSkNWLkN7
Cheeseburger, this lovely lady is Marion." The dog looked 230Please respect copyright.PENANAiUesf3WV1L
straight in my eyes and offered a paw. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAxYoKOh5m4e
I took it. "Hey, cheeseburger," I said. 230Please respect copyright.PENANA69ZC6zVl9S
He licked my hand and his tail went in high. 230Please respect copyright.PENANALF3oc7vfls
"And I'm Johnny," said the man. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAhVCeDQ4liJ
"Johnny, I'm afraid he's thirsty." 230Please respect copyright.PENANArGtkPU8QsF
"Oh, he's fine," she said. "This place was shady when 230Please respect copyright.PENANAIiz5iFey5P
I left him here just a few minutes ago." Johnny picked up his 230Please respect copyright.PENANACyu9hYZPMX
handbag. "We've been together for nine years. Look, he has my cell number on his collar and he's vaccinated 230Please respect copyright.PENANARPfvdni0rQ
." Johnny moved his bag under the Japanese maple 230Please respect copyright.PENANAzQnk6oGxCb
and Cheeseburger sat 230Please respect copyright.PENANA945JHOxe46
next to it in the shade.230Please respect copyright.PENANARHAsJNCoLP
"How far do you live from here?" I asked. 230Please respect copyright.PENANASaKzAGyprU
"Not far," he said. "Back in the woods, on the other side of 230Please respect copyright.PENANAYvWfO7liyh
. We have a good tent." 230Please respect copyright.PENANAdmC65cGn2j
"But couldn't you go to the shelter?" 230Please respect copyright.PENANAsBSBGiV9tY
"They don't take a cheeseburger and I don't go anywhere without one," he said. Every time he said 230Please respect copyright.PENANAyHuBOb9BNZ
,230Please respect copyright.PENANAf1OFf22Obd
cheeseburgers, the dog's tail happily wagged 230Please respect copyright.PENANAn6nZLWVALc
,230Please respect copyright.PENANAdzEsNC36Ph
back and forth. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAcTZ1JvyGr4
"Johnny, I can't leave without a cheeseburger food and water," I said. "It's 230Please respect copyright.PENANAwdvOE2jQAw
, not you. It's just, well, I have this thing about dogs..." 230Please respect copyright.PENANAaWbQyGLZyH
"Fine, if it makes you happy," he said. "I'll go back 230Please respect copyright.PENANAOrbuC6lKfj
now and finish my drink... It was nice 230Please respect copyright.PENANAZDzWFljNRo
meeting you, Marion. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAXiRNfnsjFs
I locked up at Walgreen's and came back with a bowl, 230Please respect copyright.PENANA2DYnDNHWGu
a large bottle of cold water, a bag of dog food, and 230Please respect copyright.PENANAYJeEuUUUio
bones. Then I went in and picked up Johnny at 230Please respect copyright.PENANA3w5eOggmlk
restaurant. "I thought you should come with me while I give 230Please respect copyright.PENANAdAQNELtlRm
food and water for a cheeseburger," I told him. 230Please respect copyright.PENANABccnVhrHxl
"Okeydoke," he said. The cheeseburger stood Johnny 230Please respect copyright.PENANAKK6KlLrwqs
and I approached. I put the food down and he took 230Please respect copyright.PENANArZmQYjz4IJ
bites of it - mostly out of politeness. He covered enough 230Please respect copyright.PENANAoqNYv3Im5J
water. 230Please respect copyright.PENANA8ZX1pbSX72
"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." 230Please respect copyright.PENANAu6IWrsiA1Y
"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. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAbk7KReunFO
Johnny didn't seem to care. “That's how it works,” he said gently 230Please respect copyright.PENANAHZrFxDLfwv
. “Every morning Cheeseburger and I get out of our tent 230Please respect copyright.PENANAs7EzMCUDs8
and look at the sky. And I say: Lord, we belong to you. We trust you. Take care of us one more day. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAr0wjmLEfMi
Thank you. ” And then at night, when we fall asleep, 230Please respect copyright.PENANAF0BgXqp1mM
I look at the stars and say: “God, we still trust You.” 230Please respect copyright.PENANA5i8y4vUDbu
He smiled again—that slow, easy laugh. 230Please respect copyright.PENANA2upFLAen2f
I smiled back. There was just something about his 230Please respect copyright.PENANAymiViaii1N
eyes that I liked. "Maybe I'll see you and the cheeseburger again sometime 230Please respect copyright.PENANARTfkYi9Soo
," I said. 230Please respect copyright.PENANA4OqK8WE32h
“Okeydoke. Me and the cheeseburger come here or go to 230Please respect copyright.PENANAelAndUMgOa
McDonalds most mornings. Then we walk down 230Please respect copyright.PENANATHSIaZKBMl
to the post office. I am a painter by trade and I hope to find a job for 230Please respect copyright.PENANAQD19Ly9N6z
."230Please respect copyright.PENANAT8uYaLTbCe
There was a real calm about Johnny, even 230Please respect copyright.PENANACPCckpnvtS
despite my unkind accusations. 230Please respect copyright.PENANANZHsvzWwBE
I fished in my purse and found a twenty. 230Please respect copyright.PENANAdnoqzxygtZ
"Can I have this?" I asked hesitantly, not knowing how 230Please respect copyright.PENANADyWwHW2nlQ
was supposed to work. 230Please respect copyright.PENANA0lae07Yq4N
He did not hand over the bill, but looked at me with a 230Please respect copyright.PENANAWioJvjtutR
satisfied expression. "You don't have to. We're 230Please respect copyright.PENANA2BPqUNlfqq
doing pretty well." 230Please respect copyright.PENANAQVbpWIORBv
230Please respect copyright.PENANAUkQzGQPifS
"I would. Very much." 230Please respect copyright.PENANA1U5nrOewPC
"Then I thank you, Marion. God bless you." 230Please respect copyright.PENANAkiIv6GDt5u
I went back to my car and turned on the 230Please respect copyright.PENANAgySdsYtua7
air conditioner. At a red light I leaned forward and looked up at the 230Please respect copyright.PENANAolArFnrIb1
blue cloudless sky. "Lord, I belong to you. I trust you 230Please respect copyright.PENANA8XAQ0oYXzF
. Take care of me today. Thank you." 230Please respect copyright.PENANAy2rBwK08PJ
The light changed. I stepped onto the highway 230Please respect copyright.PENANA736K9hFRNo
fresh, not so much from the cool air, but from 230Please respect copyright.PENANAjPZJEncPIh
. unmistakable peace, the same peace I saw in Johnny's eyes.230Please respect copyright.PENANAjUuyt8NO1k
230Please respect copyright.PENANAPzsyMiNNgD