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July 1, 2003 - "Answering the Call
Welcome to 2TheHeart!
"Americans have fought back against terror by choosing to overcome evil with good. By loving their neighbors as they would like to be loved, countless citizens have answered the call to help others. They have contributed to relief efforts, improved homeland security in their communities, and volunteered their time to aid those in need. This spirit of service continues to grow as thousands are committing themselves to changing America one heart at a time through the momentum of millions of acts of decency and kindness." ~President George W. Bush
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MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Our newest branch of 2TheHeart is truly making a difference! Angels2TheHeart is a group who sends love, encouragement and "happy mail" to those who need it! Learn more about this fantastic group here: www.2theheart.com/angels2theheart
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WRITING WORKSHOPS! Get published, make your writng zing, and learn the ins and outs of the writng biz. We now offer four different writing workshops, and all start next Monday, so register right away! www.2theheart.com/writngworkshops
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This is Patriot Week on 2TheHeart and I am very excited to share some truly outstanding stories with you. I know you will be deeply moved by each and I pray that the blessings of freedom will be shared within each corner of the world. And a big Happy Canada Day to our Candian members!
"Answering the Call"
by Angie Ledbetter
This is a true story. One character remains anonymous simply because I do not know his name.
A friend, my twin, and myself were heading for a spiritual retreat and visit with other friends in Texas. We had about eight hours of hard driving still to go that morning. Our chatter naturally turned to our interests - how many pit stops would be a world record for three women making such a long trek; who served the best fast food biscuits; how much fun the gathering would be; how much we all needed a break from our hectic routines; the power of prayer to uplift your personal situation; family concerns and comparisons, and the like. The hours and road flew by as my left arm toasted near the driver's side window and we listened to Christian music mixed in with some golden oldies from the radio.
Deciding to pull into a burger joint for B&C (bladder & coffee) stop #12, we debated the virtues of the chain restaurants that stood on the four corners as we sat at the exit ramp red light. We all pointed at the same one and pulled onto the service road running adjacent to it. We'd have to loop around the back to get to the front parking area.
Passing beneath a canopy of tree branches, I slowed the van as we approached a surprising scene. There, lying on the ground in tattered clothes with a grimy baseball hat pulled over his face was a large middle-aged man. Standing sentinel beside him was a grocery store buggy containing his worldly possessions. We crept by slowly so as not to wake him.
Inside sipping more coffee and stretching our legs, the three of us could not get our thoughts away from the man sleeping outside. We knew instinctively that he was an American veteran with no place to call home. Making our plan, we skipped back to the van excitedly and drove around back again. When we neared him, I rolled down the window and said, "We have a little gift for you and we want you to know that we love you and that you are not forgotten!"
He struggled to sit up, but couldn't stand. To keep him from being embarrassed and trying to lumber over toward us, I tossed him a small note with some money inside, wrapped with the brown, wooden rosary that usually hung from my rear view mirror.
The man smiled, mumbled, "Thank you so much," and began to open the paper. I don't recall exactly what he said, but his eyes were dancing with laughter and he sat a little taller. We asked him to pray for us and drove away with three arms waving from the windows. The rest of our journey was uneventful, but we did get to sample many of the roadside groceries and stores dotting the Texas landscape between Baton Rouge and Austin. Ever so often, one of us would ponder aloud the plight and future of "our veteran" and all those like him, so forgotten and thrown away by society. We have much to atone for in our treatment of the soldiers who've given so much and gotten so little in return.
Our visit and retreat went well from our cottage beside beautiful Lake Travis. We were privileged to see wild herds of deer running or grazing in family groups in the early morning hours, or after late night romps. Hawks, beautiful birds of different varieties, rabbits, and even a beautiful gray fox visited with us as we'd have coffee, tea, or cold drinks out on the porch.
God gave us all a nice reprieve from the stresses and pressures of our "real lives" back home through our conversations, praying, meeting with other Christians, attending church together, walking through the scenic surroundings, and sharing delicious meals. My mind turned often to the homeless man beneath the tree, and I prayed that he was not hungry, or suffering in the sudden thunderstorm that we enjoyed from the safety of the cottage.
Rejuvenated and refreshed, we left each other with hugs and prayers to make our return journeys home. Once again, Deb, Alaine, and I boarded the van and began our trip with a safe journey prayer, and a recounting of our many blessings.
Hours down the dusty road, we all noticed that it was approaching the 3:00 hour of Jesus' death, so we popped in a borrowed CD of the Divine Mercy chaplet. This is a rich and powerful prayer devotion, dedicated to calling down Jesus' mercy upon the world and into our individual hearts. We said the ten-minute prayer and gloried in the beautiful music and instrumental sounds for a while longer.
As God would have it, we needed gas and a java break at just about the same juncture where our vet was last seen five days before, which set us all to praying for him and wondering how he was doing. Being closer to a burger joint and gas station on the opposite side of the road this time, we pulled in there instead of the one where we'd met him. At the back end of the parking lot, we caught sight of our vet disappearing down the road!
We couldn't believe it was true, but knew that it was. No coincidence could have put us in the perfect spot at the perfect time to see the person we'd been praying so fervently for! I wheeled the van around and tried to find him. We looped like circling buzzards around the service roads and parking lots trying desperately to find him again. After many rounds and running on gas fumes, we gave up and returned to the gas pump.
About to pull back onto the interstate for home, we spotted our veteran's buggy wedged behind a pole by a trailer sells lot. Hanging from the cracked handle bar of his buggy was the rosary we'd given him. We vainly called and searched for him. Gathering back at the van, we scraped together a few dollars and wrote him a note saying that we loved him and would always pray for him because God had asked us to. We would be his praying angels.
Saddened by not seeing him again, we went on our way. Talking about the miracle of this impossible double meeting, we wondered if our vet had asked the Lord in prayer something like, "God, I am so lost and lonely. If those ladies are for real, and you love me at all, would you give me a sign? Will you show me in some way that I am important to you?" We then imagined our vet returning to his buggy and finding the note and money once again. I took a photograph of his shopping cart with the rosary proudly dangling from the front. It hangs on my bulletin board as a reminder of the debt we owe to those who serve.
Nearing Louisiana, Deb looked more closely at the notepad we'd used and discovered that it was a variety pack bearing Scriptural quotes for all occasions. She figured out which pattern was on the note we'd left for our veteran, and we were all gratified to hear her read on an identical page in the middle of the pad, "Am I my brother's keeper?" - Genesis 4:9
Brother Forgotten
Please forgive me, brother dear
For I have left you shedding tears.
You were loyal and true and brave.
Put to bed in a living grave.
You fought with valor and might
Through many hellish days and nights.
Coming home was much the same.
You shouldered others' share of blame.
I avoid your vacant stare,
Wounded and hurt beyond repair.
One man to you will be just -
A wounded soldier named Jesus.
Angie Ledbetter copyright 2003
AngieDLed@aol.com
Angie Ledbetter is a mother, wife, ministry worker, freelance writer, author, columnist, and book reviewer. Information on her co-authored inspirational book, Seeds of Faith ~ An Inspirational Almanac, can be found at http://www.seedsoffaithalmanac.com/ Ledbetter is currently working on a fiction novel and another inspirational book. Her personal writing site is http://www.gumbowriter.com/ Ledbetter's story and poem, "Daddy's Teaching" and "We Fall" have appeared in 2TheHeart. See Angie's photo on the "Today's Story" page!
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Visit our most recent "Make a Difference" web site award winner! Annie's Candles for the Kids is a wonderful organization from which proceeds are donated to fighting childhood cancer. Each candle scent is named for a special child! I love this site! http://www.anniesflowersandscents.com/candles_for_the_kids.htm
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www.2theheart.com
Making a difference, one story at a time!
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