A Thanksgiving Story
The following story was sent to us from two great friends of QHP, Gerry and Jackie Guimond! Enjoy!
FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING FEAST OF THE REALM OF CHRIST
FEAST OF THE COSMIC CHRIST FEAST OF THE KIN-DOM OF GOD
(It’s Catholic Buffet Day –
choose one to celebrate this weekend.)
Black Friday is
one day when we generally try to avoid shopping while visiting family; however,
the daughter, the niece and their children all thought it would be nice to meet
at the Mall for lunch.
Oh why not?
Traffic was not as dense as we thought it might have been ….before long we were parking….about ¼ mile from the mall entrance. Weather was good and we can always use the exercise so off we went…to meet the kids as indicated on text message. (It is much easier to find people when shopping than it used to be!)
In the very
spot that we were to meet we encountered two women who were in a bind. The older of the two was
using her scooter but somehow, the cotter pin that held the seat in place, fell
out, and she couldn’t find it. We looked about in both directions but nothing
was in sight. After about ten minutes we wished her luck ????...what else could
we do…..we left the two of them sitting on
a bench.
Less than
five minutes later when we were on the lower floor, Gerry
announced: “I am going back up there”……
I followed.
He explained to
the two women that he often gets hassled for having ‘junk’ in the vehicle.
Admitting that to be true he told them he was going to check the van to see if
he had something that would work.
About 15
minutes later, after the ½ mile trek Gerry returned with a bolt and a drywall
anchor. He muttered…now just pray that
this works.
He asked the
woman if she knew at which level the seat had been set at. She did not know. So
..this would be a guess….and if it fit and was in the wrong place, we would
be no further ahead.
We were all gathered again by this time and watched as Gerry put the seat in the position she indicated, lined it up, and proceeded to push the bolt in….pray, pray, pray.. And just for good measure…he popped the plastic anchor on the other side! The woman got onto her scooter and confirmed it was PERFECT!
The two women,
both African American, were so thankful that he had taken the time to help
them. The younger one said: “We are from two hours north of here. We just came
to shop; I don’t know how we would have gotten out of here if you hadn’t helped
us.”
Gerry accepted
their gratitude and added: “We’re from two days north of here….Canada!; we just
came for lunch!”
They were so
surprised and delighted….. a round of hugs was exchanged before we went our
separate ways.
A very great
Thanksgiving experience for all of us……a God/de Wink reminding us who we are
and how much we can be. This hymn
by James
Victor Marchionda, OP says it best:
“It’s not up to God/de alone to listen to prayer,
It’s not up to God/de alone to answer.
But when the people of God/de become what we pray
The kin-dom of God/de is revealed!”
I add my personal thanks for sharing this stirring story - such a good way to come to end of this church year, and look forward with renewed hope during Advent so near at hand. We need these happenings and accounts more than ever. Extra note: the new sign in the photo was designed, made and placed by Gerry and Jackie, with our continuing thanks.
ReplyDeleteMy parish in Regina is Christ the King, and our deacon Kevin Harty gave a most thoughtful and meaningful homily on this special feast. I am not going to try to summarize it here, but suffice it to say that it filled me with deep joy, and the hymn that you shared Gerry would have fit right in.
DeleteJesus the Christ, Jesus the Shepherd, Jesus the Forgiver, Jesus the Lover we carry in our hearts and in whose heart we are carried. Jesus whose kin-dom is born in us anew each day as we are called anew to share love, and caring, and mercy, and forgiveness, and compassion to any and all that we encounter each day.
What a beautiful feast to pave the way for our Advent time of waiting in great expectation for the surprising "comings" of the Lord anew in our lives.
A blessed Advent to all.
Blessings to you all at Qu'Appelle House of Prayer during this time of Light and Waiting.
ReplyDeleteAs we wait for our Dr. Bonnie Henry to announce the health of our province during Covid-19, as we work together and wait for our country to come together to help the most vulnerable, we light our Advent candle on the wreath our 10 year old grandson set up and pray to the Light: "Come Lord Jesus, Come."