~How a homeless man and his devoted partner assisted me in overcoming my~ ~spiritual depression~233Please respect copyright.PENANAmm0gaIJxi7
By: Marion Bond West
233Please respect copyright.PENANARi30MPC96Z
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. 233Please respect copyright.PENANAjlgeVrxh9R
The scorching heat didn't help — August here in Georgia 233Please respect copyright.PENANAXD4t7Ga8i2
can be downright unbearable. It was 100 degrees today and 233Please respect copyright.PENANAXVb4bpLl9Q
was pretty sticky. I turned the car's A/C on full blast 233Please respect copyright.PENANAmYkNBhYe44
and was ready to do my chores and head home. Then 233Please respect copyright.PENANAU1bWKlPryT
I saw a dog. 233Please respect copyright.PENANAlhDFFuxu2C
He lay on an empty army green bag right next to the Applebee's restaurant and walked around. There is no shadow. 233Please respect copyright.PENANADRhUOjsh3b
Asleep, or at least I hoped he was. He could have 233Please respect copyright.PENANAcpSDnhqdQp
died in this heat! I went in and found a parking space. 233Please respect copyright.PENANAWjq6L09lJj
Then I hurried to the dog. I bowed. "Hey buddy. Are you 233Please respect copyright.PENANA0f4u7iF5vx
thirsty?" 233Please respect copyright.PENANAMCed8X0Gcm
I love dogs and they love me. But this one—he was 233Please respect copyright.PENANAFpHcBtaaJD
of medium height, black, gray around the muzzle—233Please respect copyright.PENANATveHQMOO37
opened one eye, closed it, and turned his head away from me. On purpose. His tail did not slide. 233Please respect copyright.PENANAOvcnH1SLLG
He had a collar and by the way was guarding 233Please respect copyright.PENANANOYpKx84vt
's bag, I thought he was waiting for his owner 233Please respect copyright.PENANApLISJnhUsb
who was undoubtedly sitting in the air-conditioned condition of the restaurant! 233Please respect copyright.PENANAuXtcMlu9JK
I stormed into Applebee's ready for battle. Immediately at 233Please respect copyright.PENANA6FQlXSfOtJ
I noticed the owner. He sat alone at the counter, 233Please respect copyright.PENANAhgMwQCGYJk
a tall glass of iced tea in front of him. Long wavy blonde 233Please respect copyright.PENANAI1JZu0LxGe
hair and beard. Skinny, how he can't always have enough 233Please respect copyright.PENANAI2ermgjbtU
to eat. He wore jeans that had seen better days, 233Please respect copyright.PENANA5C3dbVpEl1
, but they were clean, although his arms had the faintest of 233Please respect copyright.PENANAOyCyewOw5B
paint stains. He seemed to sense my 233Please respect copyright.PENANAgJCVKYCpgz
approach and turned the stool towards me.233Please respect copyright.PENANACfLp6jR9hc
"Is that your dog?" I insist. 233Please respect copyright.PENANAIQdgAbhJHD
"Yes, ma'am, he is." 233Please respect copyright.PENANA3He1bF8NOD
"He's out in the sun and has no water. I think he's 233Please respect copyright.PENANAaIbq6PMOvZ
hungry too." I must have raised my voice because about 233Please respect copyright.PENANAHAPC626Mhl
people looked at me. "Dogs like me, but he wouldn't even open both eyes when I talked to him." 233Please respect copyright.PENANAt9RCl7leBH
The man smiled slowly and lightly. He slipped off the 233Please respect copyright.PENANAQr1hCz5bSY
stool. "That's because he wasn't properly 233Please respect copyright.PENANAYT8JCQ4WTg
introduced to you. Don't bother. I'll do the honors." 233Please respect copyright.PENANA09y4VZNcKJ
Introducing? I followed him outside. 233Please respect copyright.PENANA907he29QDS
He crouched next to the dog, which was sitting up and 233Please respect copyright.PENANAyB0dYdMYhd
turned his eyes to the owner. His tail came to life. 233Please respect copyright.PENANAhrNUAjZkWa
"Madam, I don't know your name." 233Please respect copyright.PENANAqausXBCkyf
"Marion". I leaned close to them. 233Please respect copyright.PENANAd9sHHMy8A9
"Marion, I'd like you to meet Cheeseburger. 233Please respect copyright.PENANAtKkKE4e5Oo
Cheeseburger, this lovely lady is Marion." The dog looked 233Please respect copyright.PENANAsBgc2hpB31
straight in my eyes and offered a paw. 233Please respect copyright.PENANApXRJ97bYkc
I took it. "Hey, cheeseburger," I said. 233Please respect copyright.PENANA1HQq6uhwsM
He licked my hand and his tail went in high. 233Please respect copyright.PENANABKvL7FajZA
"And I'm Johnny," said the man. 233Please respect copyright.PENANAWaXOPxrWAq
"Johnny, I'm afraid he's thirsty." 233Please respect copyright.PENANANCGUiEarxI
"Oh, he's fine," she said. "This place was shady when 233Please respect copyright.PENANAW407XC8cce
I left him here just a few minutes ago." Johnny picked up his 233Please respect copyright.PENANAzTCGX8cxVg
handbag. "We've been together for nine years. Look, he has my cell number on his collar and he's vaccinated 233Please respect copyright.PENANAXmTjLhyfZ8
." Johnny moved his bag under the Japanese maple 233Please respect copyright.PENANAk84ngQ2vV7
and Cheeseburger sat 233Please respect copyright.PENANA7N8UH8L1tm
next to it in the shade.233Please respect copyright.PENANAXDa6PEcmA2
"How far do you live from here?" I asked. 233Please respect copyright.PENANAjJxoVzfx6t
"Not far," he said. "Back in the woods, on the other side of 233Please respect copyright.PENANACR3TrpB04b
. We have a good tent." 233Please respect copyright.PENANATTolJcewcL
"But couldn't you go to the shelter?" 233Please respect copyright.PENANAuFoSUhkgyv
"They don't take a cheeseburger and I don't go anywhere without one," he said. Every time he said 233Please respect copyright.PENANASyDVxx8dnb
,233Please respect copyright.PENANAht1632niV3
cheeseburgers, the dog's tail happily wagged 233Please respect copyright.PENANAyF3fQlcJT9
,233Please respect copyright.PENANAihCeHoeWy8
back and forth. 233Please respect copyright.PENANAwMg0a2AZzF
"Johnny, I can't leave without a cheeseburger food and water," I said. "It's 233Please respect copyright.PENANAZi8V2hJFFw
, not you. It's just, well, I have this thing about dogs..." 233Please respect copyright.PENANAOFeXNOg4Pn
"Fine, if it makes you happy," he said. "I'll go back 233Please respect copyright.PENANA8ySrdW7ju4
now and finish my drink... It was nice 233Please respect copyright.PENANAmq2FyGnMj1
meeting you, Marion. 233Please respect copyright.PENANAn1tTSrv9zb
I locked up at Walgreen's and came back with a bowl, 233Please respect copyright.PENANAhaEJ5bWRFm
a large bottle of cold water, a bag of dog food, and 233Please respect copyright.PENANAkCe7AjbY1q
bones. Then I went in and picked up Johnny at 233Please respect copyright.PENANAV9ZzjRhZaa
restaurant. "I thought you should come with me while I give 233Please respect copyright.PENANA1SSWsqUpTf
food and water for a cheeseburger," I told him. 233Please respect copyright.PENANAWt7koDKO6y
"Okeydoke," he said. The cheeseburger stood Johnny 233Please respect copyright.PENANAkgUrl0NJq4
and I approached. I put the food down and he took 233Please respect copyright.PENANAGSFAplRTcR
bites of it - mostly out of politeness. He covered enough 233Please respect copyright.PENANAaeVJkMCx5e
water. 233Please respect copyright.PENANArU8LqpxBfb
"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." 233Please respect copyright.PENANAt46VwlwyZn
"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. 233Please respect copyright.PENANATp3C7JWCe1
Johnny didn't seem to care. “That's how it works,” he said gently 233Please respect copyright.PENANAIJ4fRMaE7B
. “Every morning Cheeseburger and I get out of our tent 233Please respect copyright.PENANASortZ6ilBM
and look at the sky. And I say: Lord, we belong to you. We trust you. Take care of us one more day. 233Please respect copyright.PENANAw7VCcqf0IB
Thank you. ” And then at night, when we fall asleep, 233Please respect copyright.PENANAzrKs1FL3tW
I look at the stars and say: “God, we still trust You.” 233Please respect copyright.PENANAI73YJ9PwKY
He smiled again—that slow, easy laugh. 233Please respect copyright.PENANAeKUtX6J6dm
I smiled back. There was just something about his 233Please respect copyright.PENANApV7Cq7qcBo
eyes that I liked. "Maybe I'll see you and the cheeseburger again sometime 233Please respect copyright.PENANAa87QcfKLUY
," I said. 233Please respect copyright.PENANAYLHEIkJe8A
“Okeydoke. Me and the cheeseburger come here or go to 233Please respect copyright.PENANAA7HdWa3uPD
McDonalds most mornings. Then we walk down 233Please respect copyright.PENANAL81U6D0bdi
to the post office. I am a painter by trade and I hope to find a job for 233Please respect copyright.PENANAjnZIaszIe6
."233Please respect copyright.PENANAhFQK66YL2Z
There was a real calm about Johnny, even 233Please respect copyright.PENANAFLsB2B2hrm
despite my unkind accusations. 233Please respect copyright.PENANA0BQj9Z3qKR
I fished in my purse and found a twenty. 233Please respect copyright.PENANATQJYHRPqw1
"Can I have this?" I asked hesitantly, not knowing how 233Please respect copyright.PENANAzoYJn5MPHd
was supposed to work. 233Please respect copyright.PENANAIz8JhZ7QzD
He did not hand over the bill, but looked at me with a 233Please respect copyright.PENANAtjUYDIZBPn
satisfied expression. "You don't have to. We're 233Please respect copyright.PENANAqVu0ptW0Vn
doing pretty well." 233Please respect copyright.PENANAdCnwa2yl6K
233Please respect copyright.PENANAxrBrKZaHd8
"I would. Very much." 233Please respect copyright.PENANAFfA7th9fs1
"Then I thank you, Marion. God bless you." 233Please respect copyright.PENANAjMyxkZtCGM
I went back to my car and turned on the 233Please respect copyright.PENANAbu6A1n8zWE
air conditioner. At a red light I leaned forward and looked up at the 233Please respect copyright.PENANAoXZsdUlfHU
blue cloudless sky. "Lord, I belong to you. I trust you 233Please respect copyright.PENANAHLVTiqCKKG
. Take care of me today. Thank you." 233Please respect copyright.PENANAtllqLkixO2
The light changed. I stepped onto the highway 233Please respect copyright.PENANAujOBktuFU2
fresh, not so much from the cool air, but from 233Please respect copyright.PENANAynWPs7saPI
. unmistakable peace, the same peace I saw in Johnny's eyes.233Please respect copyright.PENANA1KyvAQ7kF7
233Please respect copyright.PENANA0tZ6fp7UHp