Where I thought that I saw God

Just when I thought I'd experienced some of the greatest lengths of human kindness and generosity, the Almighty causes my path to intersect with a woman who takes giving to a whole new level, not merely sacrificing a tenth of her rue and mint, but willing to tithe her last two mites if need be. Should you happen to meet one of these extraordinary disciples, your response will likely be similar to mine: 'The kingdom of God is here.'

Having stayed in a picnic area on the west side of Tuscola the night before, Bud and I set out for the town of Newman well-rested and full (I got us a few breakfast burritos before heading out). The plan is to walk 16 miles to the town park where we can rest through the heat of the day, then proceed to the Indiana boarder in the cool of the night.

On our way into town we're approached by a woman named Mary Conn who empathises with, who she believes to be, a needy, homeless man walking with his three legged dog in the hot sun. Moved by compassion, she offers to prepare a gift bag if the vagabond will come into town. Mary is the owner of Restoration General Store in Newman, and although it's closed on Sunday, she's willing to open the doors so that a traveler can be well fed.

My initial impulse (totally out of pride) is to spurn the generous offer, not wishing to be equated with the average homeless riff raff. In my mind I feel it's necessary to make a distinction:

'I have money. I don't need to rely on handouts. I'm walking out here by choice.'

But my thoughts are all vanity. Mary simply wants to demonstrate what it means to follow Christ. So I tell her that I'd be grateful and agree to meet her at the store.

Once I've arrived there, she opens the doors to both me and Buddy and proceeds to fill grocery bags with all manner of food and drinks. I mean she takes donations to the utmost, even adding toilet rolls and dog treats to the mix. Every time I think she's finished, Mary has another idea about something to add. When I attempt to protest saying, 'This is taking your business into the red.' She quickly retorts, 'We're always in the red, but we get by.'

So after several bags have been filled with provisions, and I've been instructed to take a Klondike ice-cream bar, Mary and I go outside to augment an already growing conversation. And there, in front of a little store in Newman, Illinois, we take part in one of the best Church services I've been to in years. Mary extols Christ, telling many stories about how Jesus has used her and her business to help others, she talks of her family and shares the prayers of a mother for her sons, and she allows me to talk about my past: how far I'd fallen and how I'm learning to walk again.

We say goodbye and I take Bud to the park across the street to let him rest a while before the big push to Indiana. Minutes later Mary pulls up for one last gift: a cooler to keep everything in.

Jesus says, 'With the measure you use it will be given back to you pressed down, shaken together and running over.' Continue to be a blessing Mary. I doubt that you'll ever lack.