Mr. Reese, A Missing Piece

He sat bare chested and bent over his cane in front of the modest brick rancher. Probably in his late 70's, dirty and disheveled, he sat watching the world go by on Main Street. His tight, white(ish) socks, black sneakers and blue baggy shorts were all he wore.

He was an answer to my prayers.

My husband was holding the hands of my four and three year old as we walked back home from an after dinner stroll to the post office. They requested to go ask him his name and ask if they could pet the ceramic 'animals' sitting in the front flower bed (sans flowers). Of course, my kind hearted husband readily agreed.

The old man's face lit up when he realized they were coming down his driveway. Maybe we were the first people to do that all day. Or all week. Maybe it's been a month. They said their "hello's", introduced themselves and asked him his name.

"Reese. Robert Reese".

He had a raspy voice, and I heard my little guy ask him if he's sick. Gratefully, I don't think he heard it. After 'petting' the one wooden bear, two ceramic ducks and three lambs of the same material, they thanked him and started to leave (oh, well, after the little guy also asked him where his mom was, to which he replied "Oh. My mom's passed. I don't have no mom"). As they turned to go, he called out "WAIT!" and slowly got up and hobbled inside his home. A minute later he came out with 2 packs of peanut butter crackers, gave them to the children, patted them on the head and said "They (the crackers) are good. REAL good. You'll like 'em".

The children walked towards me like they had just been given a free passes to Disney World. We said our thanks, and my husband told him we would bring him eggs from our chickens once they start laying in earnest. I could tell he liked the idea. It meant we would come back. My heart still squeezes at the sight of hope on his tired, old craggy face.

As we walked away, and I heard my son asking "Is he alone, Dad?", I knew this was part of the answer to the asking I've been doing.

You see, this has been stuck in my head:


"Here is a simple rule of thumb for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you; then grab the initiative and do it for them! If you only love the lovable, do you expect a pat on the back? Run-of-the-mill sinners do that. If you only help those who help you, do you expect a medal? Garden-variety sinners do that. If you only give for what you hope to get out of it, do you think that's charity? The stingiest of pawnbrokers does that."

-Jesus Christ {as recorded in Luke 6}

We enjoy having an open home, where friends and family join us around our table, where friends can feel free to 'drop by' (if they dare!). It is natural and healthy to welcome the ones we know, the ones who hold similar values, the ones who are rambling down a similar path as ours into our home, and thus our lives. It can stay healthy, but only if our door stays equally (if not more) open for the ones we don't know, the ones who are lonely and the ones who look different then us (and I'm not referring to the physical here). Otherwise, life takes on a rather anemic pallor to it.

I am not talking about a ministry, an outreach, "reaching the lost" or any other American church lingo/cliche you want to insert here. People don't like people with agenda's. People don't have the time nor the will to play act for the wordy ones who are out to check off their list of good deeds done in a day. People discount people who, while may be well-intentioned, are only investing as much of themselves as they foresee getting something out of it {such as praise- ie: encouragement - from their peers in the pews}.

What Robert Reese and a whole slew of lonely, aching hearts out there want is simply Love.

Love that visits,

love that tangos with the tangible,

love sans agenda,

love without a wrist watch,

love that isn't always rushing to huddle in a building,

only coming out to get others to go back to the building with them

{after they've dusted them off,

cleaned them up and made them useful}.

Just love.

The kind you want for yourself.

The Love that's there for the taking.

I have felt something missing in this home, in my life, for the past few months. Something not complete even among the many fond memories we have made with those precious souls who have walked through our door (of which I would not exchange and hope for much more of!).

Tonight it was affirmed that it is not some thing, after all.

It was some one.

Hopefully, many "ones" who God leads us to or leads to us.

Not as a ministry, not as anything but a relationship in which love is poured out, even when it is not convenient or when it gets messy and complicated and I don't cooperate (and knowing me, there will be plenty of those times!!).

This LOVE is what fuels the kind of adventure He intends for us.

He said it Himself.

Tonight, he led us to Mr. Reese, and in that, I gladly (with much relief in finding part of the 'missing piece') take the cue.

((And the bonus? Our children are watching.

While it is good to speak of the life He has for us,

I think it's far more effective to simply live it,

even as imperfectly as we do!))