I didn't post yesterday because Sunday is laundry day, and afterward my Nose Work club had a (very poorly attended) picnic.
Last night I was back at the United Methodist Church in Naperville because the Synagogue was closed (and will be again next week.)
There was a volunteer there named Brad. I'm really bad with names, but a client... named Brad confirmed volunteer Brad's name. And I remember the client Brad's name because he once said to me, "Hey! Barb is Brad, sideways!" I am not going to forget Brad the client's name any time soon.
Brad the volunteer asked people to tell them things the wanted, and like Santa Claus he made a list. One guy wanted some gym shoes and some jeans. Another wanted a backpack for his laptop, to make it easier to carry his school books or his computer.
Later Brad came over by me. (I wasn't eating dinner because I rarely do, plus we'd had the picnic earlier.) I asked how long he'd been volunteering. 6 or 7 years, he said. Not as long as some others. I said that I'd been shocked when I first came into PADS. He nodded and said that he thinks everyone is, regardless of whether a client or volunteer.
He started to talk about ways God has touched volunteers, including himself. He told me about a man that wanted some gym shoes with color... just not black or white. Brad took his information. Someone Brad knows at church was going to get the shoes, but something came up, so another person shopped for them, and Brad delivered the carton.
The gentleman was wearing a sharp outfit with blue, green and orange. Brad said, "I haven't opened the box, so I don't know the color... all I know is that the shoes are not black or white."
The man opened the box and pushed aside the tissue paper. His mouth fell open.
The shoes were blue, green and orange and matched his shirt perfectly - like they'd been made out of another shirt. The man still has those shoes, and when he sees Brad, he says, "Brad, remember those shoes God got for me?"
Another time, a big man kept walking around the donation table, but he didn't take anything. Brad walked over to him and asked if he could help. "You don't have it. It's not there."
"What do you need?"
"A bike... for a big guy like me. I lost everything, but I got a bike and it was stolen."
"I have a bike upstairs. I keep the big stuff in another area. Let's go see if this bike is ok. I got it for someone else, but he didn't show up."
They went upstairs... the man burst into tears when he saw the large, sturdy mountain bike with the big comfy seat. Brad figures God knew this man would need the bike, and had the other man request it.
I'm sure not going to argue with Brad about whether God helps him get things for clients, or whether there's another reason. Whatever the reason, there's some kind of magic involved.
That's the news from the homeless at the PADS center in Wheaton, IL. If you have the time and inclination, please send some good vibes or prayers to help Brad help God make more wishes come true.
© 2015 sheddhead – not to be used without written consent of the author, unless quoting portions of this diary on DailyKos, with links back to the original quotation