codybear
12-27-1999, 10:09 AM
This is a first-person account from a mother about her
family as they ate dinner on Christmas Day in a small
restaurant many miles from their home. Nancy, the
mother, relates: We were the only family with children
in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed
everyone was quietly eating and talking. Suddenly, Erik
squealed with glee and said, "Hi there." He pounded his
fat baby hands on the high-chair tray. His eyes were
wide with excitement and his mouth was bared in a
toothless grin. He wriggled and giggled with merriment.
I looked around and saw the source of his merriment.
It was a man with a tattered rag of a coat; dirty, greasy
and worn. His pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast
and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was
dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His
whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his
nose was so varicose it looked like a road map. We
were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled.
His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. "Hi there,
baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster," the man said
to Erik.
My husband and I exchanged looks, "What do we do?"
Erik continued to laugh and answer, ""Hi, hi there."
Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us
and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a
nuisance with my beautiful baby. Our meal came and
the man began shouting from across the room, "Do ya
know patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey,
look, he knows peek-a-boo."
Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously
drunk. My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in
silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his
repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn,
reciprocated with his cute comments.
We finally go through the meal and headed for the door.
My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet
him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between
me and the door. "Lord, just let me out of here before he
speaks to me or Erik," I prayed. As I drew closer to the
man, I turned my back trying to side-step him and avoid
any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over
my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's pick-me-up,
position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled
himself from my arms to the man's. Suddenly a very
old smelly man and a very young baby consummated
their love relationship.
Erik in an act of total trust, love and submission laid
his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain and
hard labor - gently, so gently cradled my baby's
bottom and stroked his back.
No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short
a time. I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and
cradled Erik in his arms for a moment, and then his
eyes opened and set squarely on mine.
He said in a firm commanding voice, "You take care of this baby!
Somehow I managed, "I will," from a throat that
contained a stone. He pried Erik from his chest
unwillingly, longingly, as though he were in pain.
I received my baby, and the man said, "God bless
you, ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift."
I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With
Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was
wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so
tightly, and why I was saying, "My God, my God,
forgive me." I had just witnessed Christ's love
shown through the innocence of a tiny child who
saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who
saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes.
I was a Christian who was blind, holding who was not, I felt it was God asking - "Are you
willing to share your son for a moment?", when
He Shared His for All Eternity.
The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me,
"To enter The Kingdom of God, we must become
as little children."
there have been many times in my own life that I've started from scratch and when given the opportunity to help someone less fortunate than me I do what I can...the bum sitting outside the store looking for handouts?? he was someones little boy one day with dreams of his own and the same can be said of the bag ladies all over the world...take a moment when you see them and reach out...they bleed like you and I..its the holiday season and they also need to feel special if only for a moment..who knows you may just be the one who with a kind word turns thier world around.. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif
[This message has been edited by codybear (edited 12-27-1999).]
family as they ate dinner on Christmas Day in a small
restaurant many miles from their home. Nancy, the
mother, relates: We were the only family with children
in the restaurant. I sat Erik in a high chair and noticed
everyone was quietly eating and talking. Suddenly, Erik
squealed with glee and said, "Hi there." He pounded his
fat baby hands on the high-chair tray. His eyes were
wide with excitement and his mouth was bared in a
toothless grin. He wriggled and giggled with merriment.
I looked around and saw the source of his merriment.
It was a man with a tattered rag of a coat; dirty, greasy
and worn. His pants were baggy with a zipper at half-mast
and his toes poked out of would-be shoes. His shirt was
dirty and his hair was uncombed and unwashed. His
whiskers were too short to be called a beard and his
nose was so varicose it looked like a road map. We
were too far from him to smell, but I was sure he smelled.
His hands waved and flapped on loose wrists. "Hi there,
baby; hi there, big boy. I see ya, buster," the man said
to Erik.
My husband and I exchanged looks, "What do we do?"
Erik continued to laugh and answer, ""Hi, hi there."
Everyone in the restaurant noticed and looked at us
and then at the man. The old geezer was creating a
nuisance with my beautiful baby. Our meal came and
the man began shouting from across the room, "Do ya
know patty cake? Do you know peek-a-boo? Hey,
look, he knows peek-a-boo."
Nobody thought the old man was cute. He was obviously
drunk. My husband and I were embarrassed. We ate in
silence; all except for Erik, who was running through his
repertoire for the admiring skid-row bum, who in turn,
reciprocated with his cute comments.
We finally go through the meal and headed for the door.
My husband went to pay the check and told me to meet
him in the parking lot. The old man sat poised between
me and the door. "Lord, just let me out of here before he
speaks to me or Erik," I prayed. As I drew closer to the
man, I turned my back trying to side-step him and avoid
any air he might be breathing. As I did, Erik leaned over
my arm, reaching with both arms in a baby's pick-me-up,
position. Before I could stop him, Erik had propelled
himself from my arms to the man's. Suddenly a very
old smelly man and a very young baby consummated
their love relationship.
Erik in an act of total trust, love and submission laid
his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain and
hard labor - gently, so gently cradled my baby's
bottom and stroked his back.
No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short
a time. I stood awestruck. The old man rocked and
cradled Erik in his arms for a moment, and then his
eyes opened and set squarely on mine.
He said in a firm commanding voice, "You take care of this baby!
Somehow I managed, "I will," from a throat that
contained a stone. He pried Erik from his chest
unwillingly, longingly, as though he were in pain.
I received my baby, and the man said, "God bless
you, ma'am, you've given me my Christmas gift."
I said nothing more than a muttered thanks. With
Erik in my arms, I ran for the car. My husband was
wondering why I was crying and holding Erik so
tightly, and why I was saying, "My God, my God,
forgive me." I had just witnessed Christ's love
shown through the innocence of a tiny child who
saw no sin, who made no judgment; a child who
saw a soul, and a mother who saw a suit of clothes.
I was a Christian who was blind, holding who was not, I felt it was God asking - "Are you
willing to share your son for a moment?", when
He Shared His for All Eternity.
The ragged old man, unwittingly, had reminded me,
"To enter The Kingdom of God, we must become
as little children."
there have been many times in my own life that I've started from scratch and when given the opportunity to help someone less fortunate than me I do what I can...the bum sitting outside the store looking for handouts?? he was someones little boy one day with dreams of his own and the same can be said of the bag ladies all over the world...take a moment when you see them and reach out...they bleed like you and I..its the holiday season and they also need to feel special if only for a moment..who knows you may just be the one who with a kind word turns thier world around.. http://www.sysopt.com/forum/smile.gif
[This message has been edited by codybear (edited 12-27-1999).]