Was that Jesus?

Mark and I were walking into a gas station last week.  An older man was standing outside and kindly turned to us and said, “Excuse me.  Could you two bless me with 50 cents?”

 

Mark and I responded by telling him we didn’t have any cash.  We walked into the gas station and bought our drinks with a credit card.  We avoided eye contact as we walked to our car.

 

After leaving the gas station (and the old man empty-handed) Mark and I discussed the situation:

 

Tiff:  I hate that.

Mark:  I have a dollar in my pocket.

Tiff:  I definitely could have found 50 cents.

Mark:  Rejection is just the normal reaction people have.

Tiff:  I hope that wasn’t Jesus.

 

Mark and I vowed not to say “no” again to sweet old men who ask for 50 cents.  We don’t care if they spend it on booze or gumballs or their mortgage payment.  God blessed us with financial stability that allows us to have plenty of extra dollars to share.  It’s time to reset the norm and love others.

 

There is a man who stands by a busy intersection by our apartment with a sign that reads, “FAMILY FACING EVICTION.  PLEASE HELP.”  We’ve seen him at least once a month for the last year and a half.

 

I’ve always wondered what his story was.  I would love to interview him.  I want to know what life events led him to where he is today:  A busy intersection with a cardboard sign.  It’s not my position to judge (and I refuse to.)  I’m just so intrigued by him.   He is my brother in God’s eyes and I want to understand him.  I wonder about his family, his friends, his finances.  I wonder about his beliefs, his outlook on life, his goals.  What brought him to this place?

 

We were driving downtown last weekend.  While trying to find a parking place, we passed several homeless people.  They were settling in for the night.  Under an overpass, surrounded by nothing but blankets.

 

It was so cold outside, Mark and I were driving around and around in pursuit of the closest parking spot to Conseco Fieldhouse.  We wanted to find a close parking spot to avoid the cold so we could enjoy the basketball game together.  In the meantime, a homeless man was making his bed on a cold sidewalk.  alone.

 

yeah.  We will have fifty cents for him from now on.  You never know.  He just COULD BE Jesus…….

Share a memory about how your bedroom looked

My sister and I shared a room when we were younger.  The room was always dirty and always blamed Kayla.   Then we moved to a bigger house and we had the luxury of separate rooms.  The messy room mystery was solved at that time.  Turns out it was my fault.  My Dad LOVES telling that story.

 

When I was a teenager, I moved my room to what the previous owners called the formal dining room.  We decorated the room with light blue cloud wallpaper with dark blue butterfly border.  My parents bought nice big fancy beds and dressers for each of Kayla and I.  I loved my cloud filled getaway.

 

When I turned 18, my 8 and 10 year old brothers asked when I was planning to move out.  Since I was about to START my senior year of high school, I asked them if it would be okay if I stayed just one more year.  They agreed to the terms.

 

After high school, I moved into an apartment with my best friend, Jenny, to start our college career.  THE DAY I moved out, my siblings had their rooms moved around.   Talk about being SAD about your older sister moving out!!!!!

 

Kayla and I got the boys back, though….

 

Remember those fancy bedroom sets Mom and Dad bought, thinking they could use them as guest beds in the future?

 

Kayla and I now have them in our homes….  I hope you boys enjoy your playstation 3’s….SUCKERS

Did you have a favorite hiding place?

When my sister and I were younger, we went to a halloween party…..at McDonalds….  I won a costume contest (dressed as a jailbait prisoner).

 

*PAUSE*

here, I MUST describe my award winning costume:  I had a plain white sweatsuit on.  My Dad took electrical tape and wrapped it around the sweatsuit to give a striped fashion.   I had my permed hair in a ponytail and a beard painted on with cheap watercolors.  I had a ball and chain around my ankle, right next to my black hightops.

 

AND I WON THE BEST COSTUME AT MCDONALDS

 

*UNPAUSE*

 

I won a black T-shirt that said “McBoo.”  The two ‘o’s in Boo had eyeballs.  It was very very fancy.  My brothers were still rocking the shirt years later.

 

I also won a cassette tape (I’m aging myself) that made scary noises.

 

So Kayla and I would have friends over.  We would turn off all the lights in our room and turn on the scary noises cassette.  All of us would walk around in the dark with the sound of witches laughing, bats flying, and doors creaking.  We would scream when we ran into each other and would get scared.  The cassette would inevitably run out of tape and we would frantically have to turn on the light and flip the tape over.  Then it was on again.

 

These days, my brothers have their OWN playstation 3’s' to play with. 

 

Kayla and I had a scary noises cassette tape and an award – winning sweatsuit covered in electrical tape.

 

Just Saying…..