A pair of socks, a glass of wine and a telephone call.

I met a homeless man the other day; he came into the Laundromat to wash the new clothes he had bought from community goods shop. I heard him speaking to one of the customer assistants as he showed off his new patched trousers, she smiled and let him be. I watched him through the pages of my newspaper as he crouched over in the corner to undo the lace that held his cardboard sneakers together. He pulled off half a sock from one foot and from the other foot a different sock altogether, I watched as he sighed, his head bent over in a moment of quiet thought and instead of throwing them in the washer, he turned and dropped them in the bin. I looked over at my half done washing and decided to offer one of my own pairs of socks to him I approached him and stretched out my hand, he looked at me and said, “you better not tell the guys in the bin that I took these from you. We come a long way and they’ll be more than heart broken.” I smiled and went back to observing him through the pages. I felt quite noble and proud of the deed I had done and I was sure that this man might have seen a bit of Jesus in me. 

While packing my clean goods in the car, the man came to me with a friend and said, “I wanted to thank you but you were busy.” He bent over, opened his backpack, which held very little other than the 1liter carton of red wine, which he poured and offered to me in a well preserved polystyrene cup. I explained that I didn’t drink and he kindly drank on my behalf, Once more he attempted to offer the only other item of value he possessed, a beautiful pair of earrings. They belonged to his wife he said, “She passed away two years now, she died and left me here.” I closed his open hand and looked him in the eyes. I realized then that it was not him who needed to see Jesus in me but rather for the first time it was I who saw Jesus in him. I asked him if I could offer him something more? He sighed and said, “Sir, Just one phone call home, my time is up and there is nothing more I want than to make sure my mother and children are taken care of. I too soon will pass I’ll never make it home, the doctor made it clear.” 

A pair of socks, a glass of wine and a telephone call reminded me of Jesus, who had no home, who offered all, even His very last and then called home to say, “Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

Just to make sure we’re all taken care of.