i'm not one who believes in luck, coincidences or serendipity. even though i may say any one of these words in conversation, i truly believe that everything happens for a reason. if these three phenomenons exist, it's because they were Created so that we could have fun in life!
if you've read my blog post, My Name is David, then you know that i have a homeless friend here who i've grown to know and love. my children sometimes see him after getting off the bus and we've taken him water, food and clothes. they have grown deep compassion for david. even zane will ask about david when we've gone without seeing him for a few days.
one friday morning, after getting ready for school, maddox told me that he wanted to go and get some of his money from his piggy bank to give to david. now, maddox doesn't have a lot of money. honestly, he may have about 2 pounds, at most. but he was very insistent that this money should go to david after school. he put the 1 pound 20 pence into his school trousers and was ready for school. unfortunately, we did not see david on friday. maddox woke up monday morning and did the same thing, put his money in his pocket and went to school, in hopes that we would see david later that afternoon.
sadly, no david.
maddox, although a little bummed each day, was not going to let this defeat him. he was determined to take the coins each day until we saw our friend again.
deep down, i was starting to grow nervous. i knew the cops had kicked david off of his "spot" before and he was on another street for months. i was fully aware that this had probably happened again and we may not see david on this street again before we move home.
on the third day, as we passed by david's "spot", we saw him. we were in luck! the bus came to a stop and maddox bounded out off the bus! he ran...i mean, RAN to david. he put the money in david's little whithered, old and tattered cup and said, "hey david, i hope you have a good day!"
david looked really rough on this paticular day. he looked cold, his skin seemed a little more gray, his eyes were half-opened. he looked so tired. but he took one look at maddox and smiled. i told david that maddox had been carrying these two coins in his pocket for three days in hopes that he could give them. i told david that he was the first thing maddox has thought about each morning for several days now and we'd been looking for him every day after school.
and just as david and i were about to have a sweet "moment"....maddox butted in with, "you know, david, you really shouldn't smoke. it's bad for you." i'm pretty sure the people across the street could hear david laugh as he agreed with maddox and then david looked up at me with a wink and and shrugged his shoulders. not only did he appreciate the generosity from maddox, but i think he appreciated the direct bluntness and honesty from a child.
after we exchanged some more small talk, david thanked maddox again for his gift and told maddox that it had been his birthday the previous day. what a coincidence! maddox told him to go out and get himself something nice and then we left david as he chuckled over maddox's words.
i'm so grateful to have a child who's heart is bigger than life. i'm grateful for maddox's persistence to seek out and find david these last few days. how long has it been since someone wished him a happy birthday? and what a wonderful birthday wish to be sincerely givin from a child.
later that day, emma (our nanny), was walking by and wished david a happy birthday. when he looked at her with surprise and confusion, she told him a certain little boy had told her that he had a birthday yesterday.
"he's such a gift" was the reply of david.
yes, david, i agree. maddox and all of our children are such gifts. but never did i realize what a gift you would be to me and my family. you are a household name. you are a friend. you have taught us so much in the year that we've gotten to know you. you, my friend, are the gift. i will never forget the moment meeting you, on a cold and snowy night. giving you an umbrella and some money to help you get through. after giving you the items, you told me..."God bless you." i could tell by the way you said it, that you meant it. you believed it. so after almost walking away that night, something pulled me back. something encouraged me to ask your name. it was serendipitous. and since talking to you and getting to know you, i know that we are friends. i know your heart. i know your faith. i know i will see you in Eternity.
i had prayed for a faithful friend to have while over here during my stay. david, maybe you are that friend that i was praying for. maybe you were the answer to that prayer. God certainly is known to answer prayers in mysterious ways...
never undervalue the ability you have to make an impact on someone. a poor, 48 year old, tired and homeless man, has made a great impact on me and my family. never underestimate what you can do, no matter what your circumstances may be...
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Philipians 4:13
the following day, after i picked the kids up, i had a pull on my heart to do something nice for david. maybe a birthday treat? deep down, i really wanted to get him some soup and maybe a cupcake, but it seemed a little silly. why would he want a cupcake? i tried to wipe it from my mind and made a deal with God (yeah, you know how those go. why do we do that?). i made a deal that if maddox mentioned doing something for david today, then we would. if not, then we wouldn't. i mean, i was tired, the girls were home sick with infections, and i was not even feeling well. i didn't have the time or energy to go out and get things. plus, it was freezing cold!
And your ears will hear a word behind you, "This is the way, walk in it," whenever you turn to the right or to the left. Isaiah 30:21
as soon as i picked maddox up, "can we get something special for david? for his birthday?"
okay, Lord, message is clear.
so we did. we picked up some delicious, hot soup and a beautiful red velvet cupcake and we celebrated the life of a friend. he was thrilled to see us. and especially thrilled for some hot soup.
i'm constantly reminded that our london time is coming to a close. i plan to write david a letter to tell him what he has meant to us. i want him to know that he will always have someone who is thinking and praying for him. i will miss him dearly when we are gone. i will always wonder about him until we meet again.
i think there is a Divine Plan, constantly at work and it's up to us to make choices on what path we want to take. yes, we have a choice. after all, we have free will. this week has been a great reminder that if we listen to our hearts and follow how we feel, the paths we take can be beautiful, lucky, coincidental and serendipitous. and it certainly is a lot of fun!
The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me'. Matthew 25:40
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