I was downtown a few days ago with family and friends and as we were walking, we saw a homeless woman sitting on the street. As we approached, she said that people had been walking by her all day and would not even look at her and she began to cry. I immediately stopped and looked her in the face. She was so hurt because she said she felt like no one cared and that it was if she was invisible. She asked us for money because she was hungry and I never ever have cash but someone else did and gave it to her. We had some food that we had not finished at lunch and I offered that to her as well. I cautioned her that it was leftovers and she said she did not care, it was food. My heart started to ache. I gave her the food and found myself leaning over hear and rubbing her back. She was hunched over in a bow like fashion. We told her that God loved her and that she was not forgotten. We asked God to help her to find her way and to give her peace. I told her to go back to the point in her life where she left him, because he surely did not leave her. It would be there, she would find him. When I got home I said "that could have been me" or anyone of us. Oh, the keeping power of God. To my praying grandmother who covered all of her grand children and great grans, to my grandfather who was a preacher and surely that anointing covers me, to my sister who prays for me often and has always been there to encourage me in my plight. I know it is because of them and those before me who claimed my spiritual heritage. There is nothing special about me in my own right,  there is nothing significant about me that would have prevented me from being that woman on the street. It is because of God and his grace and his favor that has kept me. Before we left her, I put her face in my hands and leaned in and told her that she was loved and to hold on to that and not to let anyone tell her otherwise. When was the last time someone had touched her in love? She started to weep and I started crying (I am such a cry baby) and it was mess on MLK street. People were walking by trying to figure out what these sharply dressed women were doing on the corner with this homeless woman. I was not concerned with her stench or getting dirty, hell I am so filthy outside of the righteousness of God, I could not even conceive such a thought.

When we parted ways, she was beaming with her food, money and a little touch from some women that had showed they cared. It was enough to get her through the day....and I was reminded of Matthews instruction, take no thought for the morrow, sufficient is today. God always shows up in the moment with what we need. Always......
I added about a hundred more things to my gratitude list and promised myself I would not complain about another thing.