~How a homeless man and his devoted partner assisted me in overcoming my~ ~spiritual depression~234Please respect copyright.PENANAB2ahYnm6Yh
By: Marion Bond West
234Please respect copyright.PENANA7lLuK80ZW8
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. 234Please respect copyright.PENANAsCjuAj98hq
The scorching heat didn't help — August here in Georgia 234Please respect copyright.PENANAD50MadlpMC
can be downright unbearable. It was 100 degrees today and 234Please respect copyright.PENANA1qisV4VRNp
was pretty sticky. I turned the car's A/C on full blast 234Please respect copyright.PENANApzAcijptpD
and was ready to do my chores and head home. Then 234Please respect copyright.PENANAQv8GSyCv7D
I saw a dog. 234Please respect copyright.PENANAAxNuHGyAO9
He lay on an empty army green bag right next to the Applebee's restaurant and walked around. There is no shadow. 234Please respect copyright.PENANAdUriD5puPV
Asleep, or at least I hoped he was. He could have 234Please respect copyright.PENANA5dPkr0mtjj
died in this heat! I went in and found a parking space. 234Please respect copyright.PENANAvU87jlkxQ7
Then I hurried to the dog. I bowed. "Hey buddy. Are you 234Please respect copyright.PENANAlesQYXDM79
thirsty?" 234Please respect copyright.PENANAQaBudh68U2
I love dogs and they love me. But this one—he was 234Please respect copyright.PENANAHWSC8hUXS0
of medium height, black, gray around the muzzle—234Please respect copyright.PENANA8VwqRlVVUQ
opened one eye, closed it, and turned his head away from me. On purpose. His tail did not slide. 234Please respect copyright.PENANAMKpzrpv8EL
He had a collar and by the way was guarding 234Please respect copyright.PENANAl3LaM1ppzP
's bag, I thought he was waiting for his owner 234Please respect copyright.PENANAkYRwFze5Io
who was undoubtedly sitting in the air-conditioned condition of the restaurant! 234Please respect copyright.PENANAmJzebxX9Ja
I stormed into Applebee's ready for battle. Immediately at 234Please respect copyright.PENANA7tF4FQNiyn
I noticed the owner. He sat alone at the counter, 234Please respect copyright.PENANABlYdQyCnn1
a tall glass of iced tea in front of him. Long wavy blonde 234Please respect copyright.PENANALqmYffRozA
hair and beard. Skinny, how he can't always have enough 234Please respect copyright.PENANAbLNXFTiOre
to eat. He wore jeans that had seen better days, 234Please respect copyright.PENANAJ4CEjWeXdc
, but they were clean, although his arms had the faintest of 234Please respect copyright.PENANAebHJXP0tC0
paint stains. He seemed to sense my 234Please respect copyright.PENANAEg4Xw2ehu0
approach and turned the stool towards me.234Please respect copyright.PENANA7jWqRZLQyw
"Is that your dog?" I insist. 234Please respect copyright.PENANAcYg16kAa9d
"Yes, ma'am, he is." 234Please respect copyright.PENANAMiBgL4Lyp4
"He's out in the sun and has no water. I think he's 234Please respect copyright.PENANALuOpefIeOs
hungry too." I must have raised my voice because about 234Please respect copyright.PENANAWB6bHLkXAc
people looked at me. "Dogs like me, but he wouldn't even open both eyes when I talked to him." 234Please respect copyright.PENANAIgN2GUPVxB
The man smiled slowly and lightly. He slipped off the 234Please respect copyright.PENANAD7IjnwGdHc
stool. "That's because he wasn't properly 234Please respect copyright.PENANAc6mF4sBR6Q
introduced to you. Don't bother. I'll do the honors." 234Please respect copyright.PENANA2HlnXDnAb7
Introducing? I followed him outside. 234Please respect copyright.PENANArFUtpTT1si
He crouched next to the dog, which was sitting up and 234Please respect copyright.PENANAKRRgaki2dH
turned his eyes to the owner. His tail came to life. 234Please respect copyright.PENANALiuoigKcgm
"Madam, I don't know your name." 234Please respect copyright.PENANA9tvfwPrKwx
"Marion". I leaned close to them. 234Please respect copyright.PENANA8XhwSvLXO0
"Marion, I'd like you to meet Cheeseburger. 234Please respect copyright.PENANArF6rr9nHVS
Cheeseburger, this lovely lady is Marion." The dog looked 234Please respect copyright.PENANAfbXkMOL4Rs
straight in my eyes and offered a paw. 234Please respect copyright.PENANAo6AYrSqYIK
I took it. "Hey, cheeseburger," I said. 234Please respect copyright.PENANAkjZUHDLz6H
He licked my hand and his tail went in high. 234Please respect copyright.PENANAIPalQ5v4WH
"And I'm Johnny," said the man. 234Please respect copyright.PENANAa4uS4VHTh5
"Johnny, I'm afraid he's thirsty." 234Please respect copyright.PENANA4AK8GBXa9K
"Oh, he's fine," she said. "This place was shady when 234Please respect copyright.PENANACI68pMAjNd
I left him here just a few minutes ago." Johnny picked up his 234Please respect copyright.PENANALiQGyJBaLT
handbag. "We've been together for nine years. Look, he has my cell number on his collar and he's vaccinated 234Please respect copyright.PENANAF0I94LFRI0
." Johnny moved his bag under the Japanese maple 234Please respect copyright.PENANAA34bUi8YxU
and Cheeseburger sat 234Please respect copyright.PENANAfeEIfteqbQ
next to it in the shade.234Please respect copyright.PENANAK7LKg2j4ji
"How far do you live from here?" I asked. 234Please respect copyright.PENANAE43FPbSONr
"Not far," he said. "Back in the woods, on the other side of 234Please respect copyright.PENANAMxkrzeFUht
. We have a good tent." 234Please respect copyright.PENANADmGwCFNLeH
"But couldn't you go to the shelter?" 234Please respect copyright.PENANAkK88q2TRak
"They don't take a cheeseburger and I don't go anywhere without one," he said. Every time he said 234Please respect copyright.PENANAVnaPClcASm
,234Please respect copyright.PENANAB4og8ZbqVG
cheeseburgers, the dog's tail happily wagged 234Please respect copyright.PENANAvKfUMmEFLf
,234Please respect copyright.PENANASQvLnpjUiq
back and forth. 234Please respect copyright.PENANABD7axHGcJL
"Johnny, I can't leave without a cheeseburger food and water," I said. "It's 234Please respect copyright.PENANATjG35k5ktT
, not you. It's just, well, I have this thing about dogs..." 234Please respect copyright.PENANAqhHc4RTOK7
"Fine, if it makes you happy," he said. "I'll go back 234Please respect copyright.PENANABzpvBFTALb
now and finish my drink... It was nice 234Please respect copyright.PENANABxYOPe7Ir5
meeting you, Marion. 234Please respect copyright.PENANABYTuMeyerY
I locked up at Walgreen's and came back with a bowl, 234Please respect copyright.PENANAcCTPPz4TIV
a large bottle of cold water, a bag of dog food, and 234Please respect copyright.PENANAnUq3nNvolx
bones. Then I went in and picked up Johnny at 234Please respect copyright.PENANAu9con7Hame
restaurant. "I thought you should come with me while I give 234Please respect copyright.PENANA2NigGAcEAf
food and water for a cheeseburger," I told him. 234Please respect copyright.PENANA9jzOp4Ek8k
"Okeydoke," he said. The cheeseburger stood Johnny 234Please respect copyright.PENANAw3dtfcgZ0V
and I approached. I put the food down and he took 234Please respect copyright.PENANA8fr0I5HsOv
bites of it - mostly out of politeness. He covered enough 234Please respect copyright.PENANAaDN5x8cBT8
water. 234Please respect copyright.PENANAMe6TLbXBMx
"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." 234Please respect copyright.PENANA11vu6Tnghk
"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. 234Please respect copyright.PENANAPWNbzUQWOx
Johnny didn't seem to care. “That's how it works,” he said gently 234Please respect copyright.PENANAsmWfmRMvWG
. “Every morning Cheeseburger and I get out of our tent 234Please respect copyright.PENANAE5vTbQm66i
and look at the sky. And I say: Lord, we belong to you. We trust you. Take care of us one more day. 234Please respect copyright.PENANASwVBsNnZBA
Thank you. ” And then at night, when we fall asleep, 234Please respect copyright.PENANATdppdywhQV
I look at the stars and say: “God, we still trust You.” 234Please respect copyright.PENANAiXW3wbcl7k
He smiled again—that slow, easy laugh. 234Please respect copyright.PENANAaf8yKNUnX7
I smiled back. There was just something about his 234Please respect copyright.PENANAlfsNen1jnd
eyes that I liked. "Maybe I'll see you and the cheeseburger again sometime 234Please respect copyright.PENANAeTLjsGdwB9
," I said. 234Please respect copyright.PENANA0WSD6w8lLX
“Okeydoke. Me and the cheeseburger come here or go to 234Please respect copyright.PENANA9uK8deESCW
McDonalds most mornings. Then we walk down 234Please respect copyright.PENANAhwC45q9xK8
to the post office. I am a painter by trade and I hope to find a job for 234Please respect copyright.PENANAAqQAQUFEqr
."234Please respect copyright.PENANAzaY4ACIQWx
There was a real calm about Johnny, even 234Please respect copyright.PENANA7HdBlADWhI
despite my unkind accusations. 234Please respect copyright.PENANARCqoar48Ca
I fished in my purse and found a twenty. 234Please respect copyright.PENANA1JpHp2lHVz
"Can I have this?" I asked hesitantly, not knowing how 234Please respect copyright.PENANA8Z7aZzCoJT
was supposed to work. 234Please respect copyright.PENANApVIX97e7bc
He did not hand over the bill, but looked at me with a 234Please respect copyright.PENANArLEQR9yxqd
satisfied expression. "You don't have to. We're 234Please respect copyright.PENANANr3Ul3tmy8
doing pretty well." 234Please respect copyright.PENANAzAGNkY7KXC
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"I would. Very much." 234Please respect copyright.PENANA1npZArTk1t
"Then I thank you, Marion. God bless you." 234Please respect copyright.PENANAHXuApzSRzQ
I went back to my car and turned on the 234Please respect copyright.PENANAaJDp52VrbC
air conditioner. At a red light I leaned forward and looked up at the 234Please respect copyright.PENANAnlpvpx4bM9
blue cloudless sky. "Lord, I belong to you. I trust you 234Please respect copyright.PENANAP13VHid9Cf
. Take care of me today. Thank you." 234Please respect copyright.PENANAVzZUnRZJ2R
The light changed. I stepped onto the highway 234Please respect copyright.PENANAxke0NV3FU4
fresh, not so much from the cool air, but from 234Please respect copyright.PENANAeAiOb0mKot
. unmistakable peace, the same peace I saw in Johnny's eyes.234Please respect copyright.PENANANojPfhn9zX
234Please respect copyright.PENANA1n3eGmwz84