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Old Jack
Old Jack
The man slowly looked up. This was a woman
clearly accustomed to the finer things of
life. Her coat was new. She looked like that
she had never missed a meal in her life.
His first thought was that she wanted to
make fun of him, like so many others had
done before.
'Leave me alone,' he growled.
To his amazement, the woman continued standing.
She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed
in dazzling rows. 'Are you hungry?' she asked.
'No,' he answered sarcastically. 'I've just come
from dining with the President. Now go away.'
The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly
the man felt a gentle hand under his arm.
'What are you doing, lady?' the man asked angrily.
'I said to leave me alone.
Just then a policeman came up. 'Is there any
problem, ma'am?' he asked.
'No problem here, officer,' the woman answered.
'I'm just trying to get this man to his feet.
Will you help me?'
The officer scratched his head. 'That's old Jack.
He's been a fixture around here for a couple of
years. What do you want with him?'
'See that cafeteria over there?' she asked. 'I'm
going to get him something to eat and get him out
of the cold for awhile.'
'Are you crazy, lady?' the homeless man resisted.
'I don't want to go in there!' Then he felt strong
hands grab his other arm and lift him up.
'Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything.'
'This is a good deal for you, Jack,' the officer
answered. 'Don't blow it..'
Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and
the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria
and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It
was the middle of the morning, so most of the
breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch
bunch had not yet arrived. The manager strode
across the cafeteria and stood by his table.
'What's going on here, officer?' he asked.
'What is all this. Is this man in trouble?'
'This lady brought this man in here to be fed,
'the policeman answered.
'Not in here!' the manager replied angrily.'Having
a person like that here is bad for business.'
Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. 'See, lady. I
told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't
want to come here in the first place.'
The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and
smiled. 'Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and
Associates, the banking firm down the street?'
'Of course I am,' the manager answered
impatiently. 'They hold their weekly meetings
in one of my banquet rooms.'
'And do you make a goodly amount of money
providing food at these weekly meetings?'
'What business is that of yours?'
'I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO
of the company.'
'Oh.'
The woman smiled again. 'I thought that might
make a difference.' She glanced at the cop who
was busy stifling a giggle. 'Would you like to
join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?'
'No thanks, ma'am,' the officer replied. 'I'm
on duty.'
'Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?'
'Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice.'
The cafeteria manager turned on his heel 'I'll
get your coffee for you right away, officer.'
The officer watched him walk away. 'You
certainly put him in his place,' he said.
'That was not my intent. Believe it or not,
I have a reason for all this.'
She sat down at the table across from her
amazed dinner guest She stared at him
intently. 'Jack, do you remember me?'
Old Jack searched her face with his old,
rheumy eyes 'I think so -- I mean you do
look familiar.'
'I'm a little older perhaps,' she said. 'Maybe
I've even filled out more than in my younger
days when you worked here, and I came through
that very door, cold and hungry.'
'Ma'am?' the officer said questioningly. He
couldn't believe that such a magnificently
turned out woman could ever have been hungry.
'I was just out of college,' the woman began.
'I had come to the city looking for a job,
but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was
down to my last few cents and had been kicked
out of my apartment. I walked the streets for
days. It was February and I was cold and nearly
starving. I saw this place and walked in on the
off chance that I could get something to eat.'
Jack lit up with a smile. 'Now I remember,'he
said. 'I was behind the serving counter. You
came up and asked me if you could work for
something to eat. I said that it was against
company policy.'
'I know,'the woman continued. 'Then you made
me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had
ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told
me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it.
I was afraid that you would get into trouble.
Then, when I looked over, I saw you put the
price of my food in the cash register I knew
then that everything would be all right.'
'So you started your own business?' Old Jack
said.
'I got a job that very afternoon. I worked
my way up. Eventually I started my own business,
that, with the help of God, prospered.' She opened
her purse and pulled out a business card. 'When
you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit
to a Mr. Lyons. He's the personnel director of my
company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain
he'll find something for you to do around the
office.' She smiled. 'I think he might even find
the funds to give you a little advance so that you
can buy some clothes and get a place to live until
you get on your feet. If you ever need anything,
my door is always opened to you.'
There were tears in the old man's eyes.
'How can I ever thank you? ' he said.
'Don't thank me,' the woman answered. 'To God
goes the glory. Thank Jesus.. He led me to you.'
Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the
woman paused at the entrance before going
their separate ways. 'Thank you for all your
help, officer,' she said.
'On the contrary, Ms. Eddy,' he answered.
'Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something
that I will never forget. And...And thank you
for the coffee.'
If you have missed knowing me, you have missed
nothing. If you have missed some of my emails,
you might have missed a laugh.
But, if you have missed knowing our Higher Power,
you have missed everything in the world.
Have a Wonderful Day. May God Bless You Always.
And don't forget that when you 'cast your bread
upon the waters,' you never know how it will be
returned to you.
(Hope this is repeated many times today!)
God is so big He can cover the whole world with
his Love and so small He can curl up inside your
heart.
What do I want you to do with this? Nothing!!!
Having read it is simply enough to make you
think of my GOD, whom I just want you to know.
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