I see you!

Bob McLean lived alone in a dingy apartment on the 10th floor of a not-well-maintained high rise in a poor area of Hamilton.  Every day, he would take a bus to the Salvation Army Golden Agers Club and park his 5 foot, 200 lb body in a chair next to my desk.    His buttoned- down shirts were often missing a button and he’d go several days before shaving and bathing.  He also suffered from diabetes and his legs were swollen and purple.   But every day at noon, he’d  hoist himself up and join others for lunch in our cafeteria, his only meal of the day.  Sometimes he’d enjoy a game of pool with some of the other men who came to the club,  and at the beginning of each month, Bob volunteered to fold about 200 newsletters but most of the time he was content to just sit there, 9 - 4 p.m, Monday to Friday.   

To many, Bob was invisible, just taking up space but one day, he told me this story.

“I was walking across the parking lot and saw this man grab a woman’s purse and so I ran after him, tackled him and laid on top of him until the police came and arrested him.” 

Wow! 

At first I was skeptical, but after checking around, it was found to be true.  I’m sure that the woman who got her purse back was forever grateful.  I also was forever grateful every Christmas when a lovely poinsettia would appear on my desk along with a card, signed in childish printing, “Merry Christmas, from Bob”.

One year,  Bob told me not to call him on Christmas.  

“I always take the phone off the hook on Christmas”, he announced.  

“Why?”  I asked

“I dunno.  I just do.”

My guess is that Bob would rather believe that someone had tried to call him on Christmas day than to know for certain no one did.  

Needless to say, he was a guest at our table that year and as we sang, “O come let us adore Him.  O come let us adore Him, Christ, the Lord”, another Presence, so gentle, so sweet, pervaded the room.  I almost wept.

If you’re not comfortable with having strangers in your home, I get it.  Sometimes, even if we want to be hospitable, our spouse, partner or other family members may not be on board with the idea.  So perhaps you could try this experiment.  Ask God to help you see those who are invisible.  Maybe it’s the cashier at your local grocery store, or an elderly neighbour sitting on their front porch. It only takes a moment to give them a warm smile or an encouraging word.   We are hard-wired for connection and this act of kindness could help the loneliness subside.       

This is the essence of kingdom hospitality.

By the way…

Speaking of seeing clearly, these days of cooler temperatures  are a good time to clean your windows.  I’ve tried every known glass cleaner on the market and here’s my go-to recipe for the absolute BEST and CHEAPEST glass cleaner, ever!

Mix 2 cups of water with ⅓ cup of white vinegar and ⅓ cup of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol.  

Pour into a strong spray bottle (not the cheap dollar store type).  

Pick a day when the sun’s not shining too brightly,  Spray and wipe with  microfiber cloths.  Be sure to wash the cloths in hot water without any fabric softener.

For those of us living in Canada, these dog-days of summer are the best!

Enjoy!