Benjamin

My job at the drugstore was very enlightening on so many levels, but one thing I learned stands out; How Father can, almost immediately, change your heart about a person. For my relationship with one co-worker, it meant going from pure hatred to heavenly love!

Benjamin* was, by all appearances, your average inner-city, young adult male. Hair in cornrows, jeans and tee, part-time student...really nothing out of the ordinary. But within a few days of his hiring, his attitude turned severely hostile towards me. Among other things, he would wait until I came into the area, where the other employees would be lounging, and tell crude jokes waiting to see my reaction. He would taunt me from the balcony above the cash register where I worked, making crude noises. He would turn the lights out while I was still in the storage area doing cleanup....the list goes on.

I examined myself. I got along well with the other young people that worked at the store, always being treated in a business-like way. I used to pray every night that Benjamin would call out sick for the shift. I never complained to my supervisor, because I didn't want any confrontation AT ALL! He was so very vulgar and it was solely directed towards me. My distaste for him was also very strong.

Then "it" happened, suddenly! I came into work one night , saw Benjamin and all hatred for him was gone! I was, delivered supernaturally, of all the mean and ugly feelings I had for him.He seemed to be relieved, too.
Father turned our hearts, for each other, from cold to hot. After that, he began bringing the heavy tubs of supplies into the store for me,taking my register duty for me during my lunch break,  offering happy salutations and expressing general kindness.

Truthfully, I believe he was planted in that drugstore by Father to show me many things. The most important thing? How He can change hearts and minds, supernaturally, for HIS PURPOSES!

As I move forward with my work for Father, I know Benjamin will play a very important part in the plans He has for me to execute into the world. Although I haven't seen Benjamin in over two years, when it is time, we'll connect to do Kingdom business! He'll be a friend....closer than a brother!


GOD IS ABLE!

*not his real name.

black, patent leather Mary Janes
my Sunday shoes
kept
clean and shiny
with just a touch of Vaseline,
skip, skip
away from Saturday's woes
into worship morning

jumping down 4 flights of steps
on the way to St. Lukes,
                           Jesus,
                           redemption and
                           my friend, Cookie

Hallelujah!
and my black, patent leather Mary Janes
are bouncing and clapping 
to Rev. James Cleveland...

on bended knee, Sunday shoes
bottom-side UP
 pray  love  and  honor Father
AMEN!
                          then
                          Jesus,
                          me,
                          redemption,
                          Cookie,
and my black, patent leather Mary Janes
run to penny candy, the monkeybars, Sunday dinner and slumber~

black, patent leather Mary Janes
tucked under my bed

my deliverance. secure.
                     

1978

                                                                Boogaloo          
                                
                                                 sat. nite

                                                honky-tonk

                                 evelyn shouting, jukebox blaring

                                                 "shame"

                                              swish, swish
                                           booty-swinging
                                              left then right
                                    like some wild, frenzied metronome
                                           ticking down a gin and tonic haze
                                      movement and music
                                      music and movement
                                                sat. nite
    
                                misery is sent running for it's life

                                down the road to a Sunday mourn

                                                full of regrets...

Sprinkles on Cupcakes

Ivy rushed home to make the cupcakes for Mal's party! Mal loved her cupcakes; the way she iced them and decorated them with sprinkles. He appreciated the tender-loving care she took bringing them to him. You'd think he was five years old, again, when she'd visit, sweets in tow.

Tonight was very special. Mal was coming home with her. His stay in the hospice was only supposed to be for a month, but a month turned into three years. Health problems, after his stroke, forced Ivy to put him in a hospice to get 24 hour care. He wasn't talking, needed a feeding tube and had lost all feeling in his left side. She had no choice.  On what happened to be his 30th birthday, she wheeled him into Dangle Blue Hospice, thousands of miles away from their home.

"My husband...home." She smiled at the thought of having her man around the house again.

She dressed into her "gonna get my man outfit" and packed her cupcakes. Thoughts of the staff's well-wishes humbled her and made her warm on the inside. It was their idea to have this party, as they called Mal "the most perfect resident." He had made such great progress; you could hardly tell he'd been chronically ill.

When she arrived at the hospice entrance, she expected to hear music blasting and the sounds of people partying- but it was silent. Sam Bivens, the hospice director, met her at the door.

"Come, sit down, Ivy." He led her to the sofa.
"Where's Mal? Did y'all cancel the party? Why?
"Ivy, Mal died during the night. He had a massive heart attack. We couldn't revive him. I'm so sorry....

Ivy cried uncontrollably for about three minutes. Then, all of a sudden, she gained her composure! She looked up and there was Mal where Mr. Bivens had been sitting!

"Don't cry, Ivy. I'm o.k. now...no more pain, not even a little bit." He grabbed her hand. "I wanted to touch you one more time, let you know how deeply I LOVE YOU. You stayed my true wife, sticking by me during my illness, seeing that I got the best of care. You traveled thousands of miles to see me every week, did conferencing with my doctors to make sure I was kept with state-of-the-art equipment. Your calls were the highlight of my day, keeping me until our next visit. And you know, with all of that, what I especially loved you for?

"No, what?" Ivy asked, expecting to pass out at any moment.
"The cupcakes with the sprinkles on them."

She reached into her bag and handed him one, only the "him" was Mr. Bevins! He looked puzzeled, but he took the cupcake and put it away on the chair besides him.

"How should I proceed, Ivy?"
"Go into the kitchen for some ice-cream and plates for our cupcakes....

\O/ \O/ \O/ (Hands in the air!)

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Accept the mate that's perfect for you!

So many of us fall, again and again, in our love relationships. We want, only, to be involved with the person of our dreams, physically and financially speaking! We have to be open to the fact that our compatible mate may not come in the package we expect. Putting specifications about looks, finances, etc. on our incoming mate may block our blessing of true love.

It's a good idea to rethink how we  "look" at the person who could be a potential spouse. From wherever your blessings flow ask, "Please send me a mate that fits my heart and personality." THEN PUT A PERIOD!

Actually, the asking is not the hard part. The challenge is to be ready and willing to fully accept your blessing, no matter what the outside looks like or what's in his/her pockets!


How do you feel about this? Would you try this viewpoint to turn your life around? Leave your helpful comments below! Thank-you and Have a nice day!