Life on the 6th Avenue Benches!

The day was Sunday, my favorite day of the week. After running around like a hamster on a wheel all week I get to fill up my spirit on Sundays.

I woke up to sunny skies and birds chirping. I jumped out of bed and did my daily necessary-hygiene-but-not-liking-it types of duties. I had slept in and felt a bit rushed. After all, the yearly Southern Book Fair was on the plaza today. I didn't want to miss out on a minute of it.

As I drove into downtown Nashville and neared Legislative Plaza I started to get excited. I've lived in the Music City for 2 years and have not had a chance to experience the Fair before this year. As I got closer to my destination I was thrilled that there were not cars lining the streets; I was going to get a parking spot that was close to the plaza. Ah! Life is good.

After I parked in the 'Rock Star' spot I noticed that the booths with the books and authors were still covered with their tarps. I saw the Book Fair information sign and then I realized - I was two hours early!

Okay, what was I supposed to do? Drive back home? Find a coffee shop and have a cup of java? Recline my car seat and try to take a nap - wait! I had only been awake for two hours!

I opened the car door and stepped out onto the sidewalk on 6th Street. After growing up in Minnesota and spending the 20 years before I moved to the Volunteer State, in Chicago, the long-into-fall day that greeted me was an unexpected gift. The warm, 90degree air that enveloped me made for a picture-perfect day.

As I locked my car door and looked around, I saw the homeless men that I feed on the Sundays that I am in town, occupying their self-appointed benches. That was it - I was handed a golden opportunity to share with these men.

I approached David, a burly black man with a smile that could land planes. His face lit up the moment he spotted me. We may not have exchanged names before, but we had touched hearts. He greeted me and invited me to sit on the half of the bench that he was not occupying. In that moment the rest of the world disappeared. I did not notice any other people on the street, and the odor of unclean clothes and a body denied of a shower were non-existent. It was two fellow human beings doing life together.

I asked questions, very gently. What surprised me was David's hunger to talk and tell his story. We talked about his lost dreams of what he wanted to be when he grew up, the family that deserted him when he needed them, life on the streets and the family that had grown out of his hunger for community.

After I finished chatting and praying with David I walked to another bench and recognized Woody, and then onto Carl. I spent time with both of these beautiful souls that had so much to share, and yet were tossed away by society. We laughed, we took pictures, we exchanged e-mail addresses. Yes, they check their e-mail when they are in the library at the end of the block. It amazed me how well read these men are. The common denominator between all three men was that they all love sports. I felt a sudden sadness as I wondered if they would ever get the chance again to attend sporting events with their limited resources.

These men are amazing: they read all day long, they are in touch with nature, they encourage each other, they do life together.

I finally walked to the Book Fair and felt that I had just been handed the greatest gift of all. I did not treat it lightly that these men had shared their stories with me. It was an honor. And to let them know how much I care for them I bought them $6.79 sandwiches at the Fair. Nothing was too good for these children of God.

I walked back and handed them my meager offerings. They smiled through their toothless lips and I witnessed as their hearts encompassed their faces. In that instant I knew I was in the presence of Jesus. I was given a gift that no one can ever take back from me.

I drove home after the Book Fair, the fair that I soon came to realize was the vehicle to get me to my new friends. As I passed the extravagant houses on my way home I wondered how many of these homes had the community, the laughter, the love that I experienced between that family on 6th Avenue. These men are living together, while America watches the disconnect that has families living silently in the same dwellings.

Today I glimpsed a bit of heaven on earth, and I got to be a part of it. I was expecting to spend the day getting filled up with books. There was a different plan at work here, in the same way that the expectations of my fellow human beings had taken a different turn than they had expected. When they were growing up they had dreams just like I did. Our expectations and well-laid plans don't always (maybe hardly ever?!) turn out the way we map out.

I will be visiting my 'brothers' next Sunday, but this time when I bring them a meal, I will gift myself with the time to break bread with them. I have found new family members the day I thought I was merely going to a Book Fair!


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