By Kenneth Stepp
Yesterday I had what some people would call, kismet, or a God appointment for others. Something happened that was ordained to happen. lives would be touched in a profound way. Yesterday was one of those days for me, it was all about choices. Yesterday, I made the right one, I don’t always do that. I won’t belabor this introduction, but I’ll say that meeting my new friend was powerful for me. After reading my story, I would love for everyone to think back at a decision or a crossroads they were at. How did you handle yours? Right or left, we always choose a direction.
It was a typical day, I woke up, checked my social media while having my morning coffee. I had to go south, to Fairburn Georgia to drop a friend off after picking him up in another town. My day began getting longer and at about 1:30 in the afternoon, I realized I was bored, it was at that time that a dating app dinged at me from my phone. It was a very young, beautiful, tall girl I had been speaking with for a couple of weeks. She was in my town and wanted to visit me. At my house! In the singles world, that means only one thing.
At first I was flattered, ego stroked, she was something. I had to go to the grocery store to grab what I needed for dinner later on and while there my phone rang, it was one of my best friends and someone I trust spiritually. I still had not answered the girl in town for the day, because I felt a gut check was in order. I am so glad for gut checks and friends. I’m always honest and open with my friends. I told her about the “invitation”, and that I felt it would be two things. Ill Advised and a lot of fun. She concurred, I already knew the answer. I knew who I was and who I wasn’t. Having my new girl over would be another memory I wish I did not have.
I drove around after dropping off my groceries and wound up at a little eatery with a patio out front near the road. Out of nowhere came a new friend. How are you, I said with a smile? She had her dog, Gizmo, with her. I invited her to sit a while, she did. My new friend was homeless, toothless, and lonely. What’s your name? Teresa, she answered. For the next hour and a half, we chatted about everything she wanted to talk about. Her youngest son committed suicide on January 3rd of this year, she wept as she spoke of what a great son he was. She was near 60 years old and living on the streets for the last 7 years, she had so many stories to tell. Taught me things I’d never thought of about homelessness.
I left my new friend to go home and finish my work for the day, I could still see her in my rear view mirror as I drove away. I founded a nonprofit years ago and is still active today, on the front page of the website there is a quote that I made up, “Welcome to Angel’s Work, where everyone is as important as anyone”. Teresa just proved me right. I may be the first person in years to ask her her name, to sit and listen to her, and to hug her so tight she nearly broke. But she was a gift to me, a special gift from my God, to remind me that I’m still human, that my heart can still give and break. Teresa gave me more than she can imagine. 7 years homeless and she was capable of melting my self serving heart for a day. I guess that’s about all I can say about that. Maybe she was an angel my creator sent to remind me of who I am… He’s done things like this for me my entire life… This time He sent me a beautifully broken angel.
“Nobody’s perfect. We’re all just one step up from the beasts and one step down from the angels.”
― Jeannette Walls
