Written on 9/3/21 / Event Date 8/18/21
I just finished reading Mathew 25:35-40 and I realized I need to put my money where my heart is and ask where the need is for volunteers or help in my community. Those not familiar with the text, it goes like this:
35 “‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or without clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick, or in prison, and visit you?’
40 “And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Following the heart strings, I posted on Facebook for directions, where do I go, who do I help? My Aunt posted, “Get grandma out of the apartment!” Like hanging out with grandma is charity, I love that woman, it’s an honor to be her granddaughter - I just don’t have her correct phone number. I replied, “It’s your day with her.” Or something like that, the world needs me!
After enrolling to support the local Food Bank, I finished some errands, got groceries, and I decided to treat myself to a sandwich. There’s a market here in town that has the best Dutch Crunch sandwiches with apples and Havarti that bring back the warmest of memories, plus a mint! Pacific Market, we’d walk in our boho couture and treat ourselves on the picnic benches. What great moments. I order my #3 Franklin Ave and start grabbing miscellaneous items for home. I grabbed their fresh squeezed orange juice from the cooler section and it was good. Well Done!
I went to check out then sniffed the wrapped paper on my sandwich, you can smell the chicken through the layers. Before the grocery store, I went to the bank to deposit some money and although I wanted to deposit all the cash I had, that heart string tug made me resist and leave a twenty in my wallet. On my way home to my parents house, where I happened to be house sitting for the week, I passed a woman and her daughter playing on the corner where they were selling fresh fruit. I had a stronger instinct, another heart string tug, you know the kind that you listen to? Put the money where the mouth is.
I swerved over to the side of the road, park totally illegally, put the park lights on, and walked towards the woman. “Here’s twenty bucks, have a nice day!” She was perplexed. She insisted I take some fruit with me and tried to sell me on a yellow looking fruit I know not the name of. “Really, I don’t know what I’d do with that. How about some oranges?”, I ask. She insisted I take two bags for the money and I feel the point of random generosity is missed in the interaction. I grab one bag, “Deal!”. I wished her a nice day and got back to the car.
Closer to home, I pull into my grandma’s apartment complex because what am I going to do with all these oranges? She’s not home, that’s funny - she’s old, who took her? I gaze over at the piano room where she plays some hymns by memory at ninety-four, that’s pretty impressive. In a hurry to eat my sandwich, I ignored that heart string. Back in the car, I call my Aunt and left a voicemail. Not worried, but just want to make sure someone really has her so I called another Aunt next and our reception was awful. “Do you have grand-MA!?
She explains how she just dropped Grandma off about fifteen minutes ago and she’s playing piano in the wreck room. Heart String 3, Audrey 2. ‘Of course she is’, I think to myself. Why do we ignore “our” instinct? My Aunt continued to tell me how joyful she was that she just stock piled on groceries. Fresh groceries! This woman lived through the depression, she had mustard from the 80’s, just not quite ready to part with it. “She’s all set except they're all out of oranges!”, my Aunt continued
Of course they were. I eye roll and then smile the widest grin. “Grandma, Jesus wants you to have oranges. That umbrella policy is really good coverage.” She ends up denying the oranges because she prefers cutie’s. Continuing on with the Spirit of giving, I donated half the bundle to my neighbor and juiced the other half to have more fresh squeezed orange juice for the soul. God, who were the oranges for?
Always looking out for Everyone!
