Party Surprise

Or homeless.....

There are two things that I think and pray about these days. Thing number one is a meaningful ministry that will take me outside myself, make me grateful for all I have, consume my extra time and energy, and keep me from thinking about thing number two…which is my aloneness.

When my friend Louise was single for several years,  she dated here and there (I think I set her up a couple of times but nooooooo!….she was hard to please!)  She finally told God that if He wanted her to marry, He should bring a man to her doorstep. And yes, just as you’re thinking, He did just that.  I’ll tell you the story another time.

So as I was praying this week I debated whether to be as bold as Louise.  I’ve dated a good bit this year, tried on some really nice guys (not literally, you pervert!) but none seemed to fit just right. I was thinking I should just stop dating until someone appears on my doorstep.

So imagine my overwhelming surprise last night when, as my Christmas party set out to carol in the neighborhood, there standing right in front of my house watching curiously and wanting to join in was………..a homeless woman!  (I know, you were hoping it was going to be a knight. So was I).

Anyway, we invited her to come along. She said we had made her day, which I suspect was an understatement. She took a songbook, told us her name and we all welcomed her warmly into the choir. No audition was required.

As we rounded the block, we noticed two young women watching from a second story balcony. We stopped,  circled up and broke into a chorus of  Hark the Herald…..or was it O Little Town? We called for the girls to come join us and one of them made a mad dash for the stairs and popped out the door.

Now get this………the young woman, a Christian who just moved in a month ago, knew three members of our group AND she knew the homeless lady. She had ministered to her at a homeless shelter in a different part of the county.

They both finished caroling with us then came back to my house for yummies and the Chinese (er…..guess I should say Asian) gift exchange. When everyone else went home, they lingered and the three of us got better acquainted.  We agreed we wanted to meet up again.  I’m meeting Sunday with the younger woman to discuss ways of helping the homeless woman.

I’m not trying to make too much out of this.  I’m just wondering and anticipating what comes next. And, at least for today, thing number two doesn’t seem like such a big deal.