Recently, one man, who drinks every day on the corner of Adams and Normandie, told me at 7am: "be careful out here, a lot of ugly things happen here. I dont do drugs, I dont smoke, but I may drink too much." When I am coming home from work at 5:30 he is still on the corner, sometimes with the brown paper bag poorly disguising his drink.
Today, a woman who is self described, black, just light skinned, told me: "be careful and if anyone gives you trouble, tell em your my cousin. Theyll leave you alone." She also rambled about the men on the corner and I couldnt understand her, but she said, Its not what you do its how you do it. I can't be certain, but i think she was referring to how the men do drugs on the corner. As she repeated its not what you do, but how you do it, it gave me the feeling that she did drugs too, but from the inside of her house. I have no idea.
I feel like both of the people were justifying themselves to me, and warning me. As i walked over the constant dispersal of broken glass and graffiti, i realized I live in the 'hood. Why did they need to justify themselves to me and warn me?
The helicopters are flying overhead. I heard there was a shooting on Normandie (closer to Leighton). There was a shooting spree in Manila today. Taco truck drivers are fined and put in jail for being parked in one spot for more than an hour. The death toll is rising in China and Burma. The flags are flown at half mast in both countries. I process renewals and think about poetry. We read the bible. In Johannesburg, Zimbabweans are targeted for death and fists by the hungry South Africans trying not to be the 25% unemployed. Bomb explode in India, Lebanon, Iraq. Macy's had a sale today.
The Lord is the Alpha and the Omega. There is nothing that is impossible for him. His Mercy endures for ever. Even the darkness is light to him.
This I believe and it is only because I believe this, I am able to sleep tonight. This night, that was proceeded by this day and will be followed by a tomorrow that is much like today.
1 comment:
Nice contrast between the craziness around us, the distant nations. Those things that are impossible to man; AND the God to whom nothing is impossible. Our belief in this truth is why we can rest at night. Well put.
Then I think, How do I reconcile the impossibilities in Burma, China, the drug addict on the street corner with the God to whom nothing is impossible?
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