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Thursday, February 21, 2013
Monday, February 4, 2013
5 Minutes w/ Steve
This past Friday, I went to out of my office to the gas station to get a snack. On my way, I thought I'd check in w/ my buddy Steve (at the bus stop).
He was getting his sleeping bag ready and so I offered to help him carry it to the bench. We sat and we talked. I started off with the normal, "How you doing, Steve?"
He gave me the normal, "I'm doing fine."
But then he threw me a curve ball. He then said, "How are you?"
And I was stunned. Caught off guard a little.
"I'm a little hungry," I said.
"Well, at least you're honest," he chuckles.
...and I feel like an idiot. I mean I have a little case of the muchies and I go straight for the convenience store. This guy...Steve...who knows when's the last time he ate. (I'm an idiot) I ask him if he needs anything, but he says no.
I show him a picture of my family...of my wife and two girls. He smiled and told me about his family in Texas. So I ask him if he ever wants to get back there. If he wants to see his family again.
"Tornadoes. No thank you. Cold weather. No thanks."
...and again I am just amazed at how self centered I am. Assuming that this man wants or would want the things that I want. Or because this man doesn't have the things that I would want, I assume he isn't happy.
He reads to me a passage from Ecclesiastes 3 KJV. The gist of this passage is that there is a time for everything. What I get from him is that he is content with what he has in this season of his life.
I tell him I gotta get going and to let me know if he needs anything.
He tells me I'm a good man.
...and you know what? That meant something to me.
That day, Steve gave me something.
(Thanks, Steve.)
He was getting his sleeping bag ready and so I offered to help him carry it to the bench. We sat and we talked. I started off with the normal, "How you doing, Steve?"
He gave me the normal, "I'm doing fine."
But then he threw me a curve ball. He then said, "How are you?"
And I was stunned. Caught off guard a little.
"I'm a little hungry," I said.
"Well, at least you're honest," he chuckles.
...and I feel like an idiot. I mean I have a little case of the muchies and I go straight for the convenience store. This guy...Steve...who knows when's the last time he ate. (I'm an idiot) I ask him if he needs anything, but he says no.
I show him a picture of my family...of my wife and two girls. He smiled and told me about his family in Texas. So I ask him if he ever wants to get back there. If he wants to see his family again.
"Tornadoes. No thank you. Cold weather. No thanks."
...and again I am just amazed at how self centered I am. Assuming that this man wants or would want the things that I want. Or because this man doesn't have the things that I would want, I assume he isn't happy.
He reads to me a passage from Ecclesiastes 3 KJV. The gist of this passage is that there is a time for everything. What I get from him is that he is content with what he has in this season of his life.
I tell him I gotta get going and to let me know if he needs anything.
He tells me I'm a good man.
...and you know what? That meant something to me.
That day, Steve gave me something.
(Thanks, Steve.)