12:36 a.m. - Friday, Mar. 12, 2004
God & Pepsi.
Yesterday, Chris and I finally got back out to the parks after too long an absence. Our friend Josh came with us and we carried a cooler full of Pepsi and Mountain Dew. Note To Self: Homeless people don't like Mountain Dew! I tried to warn Chris, but they were on sale. I at least picked up a few Code Reds, but at the end of the day, few had opted to 'do the dew.'
Anyhoo. We met some new people, including Sharon. She was at Tower Park. She seemed so out of place. She was sitting at a picnic table with a group of people. She's in her 50's, possibly 60's, and she's just so pretty. A perfect face, a beautiful smile. Her face didn't seem to hold the haggardness that usually comes with being homeless. She seemed to shine.
We also met Lewis. We didn't talk to him very long, but he was real happy to get a can of soda. He just said that he was in the middle of a real tough day, and that we came at a good time. Who knows what he's been through.
There is so much heartache that happens on the street. Often if you're on the street, it means you've experienced some terrible family crisis. Perhaps your child has been taken away from you. Perhaps your spouse has left you. Perhaps you've been rejected by people that you love. And then along come some guys with a cold Pepsi. Dear God, why should such an insignificant act offer any consolation in the face of such pain? And yet somehow, God is there. I don't want to overplay the significance of giving a guy a can of pop, but in some weird way, God is in the Pepsi. And apparantly, to a lesser extent, the Mountain Dew.
And yet I still consider myself a Coca-Cola man. Go figure.
