It's a beautiful day today - the sun is shining, there is a cool breeze sweeping through the plaza and the sky is free of clouds and smog. I'm sitting in the plaza outside of Dolores Mission, a rennovation project that has cost our parish hundreds of thousands of dollars but provides people an enjoyable place to sit. It's covered by four large, porous tents, each one a different color (red, yellow, green and blue) and it reminds me of those parachutes we used to play with in gym class when we were little.
I'm meeting with Vince and a teacher from the school and we're talking about the youth group we're starting next month. Yellow bounces off our faces as we talk and we all look a little bit like we might have jaundice because of it.
It's nearing 4 pm and the homeless men who are part of the Guadalupano Homeless Project (GHP) start filtering into the plaza. They will line up at the GHP office to check in and get their towels and begin their nighttime routine. We're in the middle of brainstorming topics we can hit on during our youth group - life, death, relationships, family, rejection, love etc etc when we look over an see a man sprawled out on the brick tiling of the plaza, on his belly, reaching under a plastic table. He's whispering softly and petting Lupe, the green-eyed black cat that is lying under the table.
What a blessing to have caught a glimpse of that moment! Just the simple, quiet companionship between a man working to stand on his own again and a feline having found her home.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment