Gods gift for me and Pam

So I am sitting here at Da Vinci's, my little cafe job right across form campus, thinking about some of the amazing people I have encountered recently in my life.

Some regulars at Da vinci's:
An older man, John and his friend always come in on the nights that I work to sit and chat over a cup of coffee. Usually, because business isn't great, I can sit and chat with them. John, after finding out that my camera was stolen during my travels in Latin America brought me three of his old cameras, five lenses and a hand held light meter, gracing me with lessons each time he comes in.

There is another man in the little town of Swarthmore that spends his days wandering around, hands in his pockets with a slight grin on his face as he ponders life and those passing him by. I never fail to see him out the cafe window standing on the corner, walking towards the train tracks, or chatting with a neighbor. I have spoken very little to him but a couple weeks ago I left Da Vinci's heading for home when he approached me with a grin. "Have you seen the new clock they're putting up there?" he questioned pointing to the construction sight. Yes, i replied grinning back. Well there used to be an old clock there before this one, do you want to see it? Yes I said intrigued. At that moment he pulled out a picture of him holding a piece of paper with the time written on it with the words "old clock" at the bottom of the page. We laughed and laughed and continued to do so while walking away.


Just yesterday I was taking the bus to go into Chester, and when I transferred to the second one I heard a "Sarah...Sarah!" I looked behind me and sitting in the back of the bus was a woman that I had lived with at the Gift of Mary. This woman Pam, I had been very close to. She lived at the Gift for several years, and because her family did not want to take responsibility for her, she was alone. Each morning she would greet me with a gummy grin and a cheery goodmorning! Joy emitting from her eyes. She was child-like in her demeanor, an effect of years of drugs and the later stages of AIDS. When she was sad, you could not help but feel sad with her, and when she laughed, no matter how worn out you were you would laugh with her. One year ago she met a man, who happened to come into her life right when her welfare check started to come in, and she left the Gift. She has been back on the street and into the life of drugs once again. I had to stop thinking about this situation as it would make me wring my fists in anger. Well every now and again she would come to my mind and I would wonder how she was doing, without the slight expectation that I would ever see her again. So imagine my surprise when I saw her that day sitting in the back of the bus. I squatted next to her, giving her a hug as she kissed my cheek several times. We chatted for a bit. She was the same Pam, only a little thinner...but that same smile. I snapped a couple of pictures of her and hugged before parting ways about fifteen min later. I looked back one more time thinking, I may never see her again, but at least I got to say goodbye.

It is at times like these that I realize that God is present in all of these people that he keeps sending to me. Not only a reminder of his love for me, but the realization that many times he is loving people like Pam through me. And my hug to her may have been as great a gift as her kisses were to me.