Two short stories from Manna House this morning.

Two short stories from Manna House this morning. 

Cecil is a veteran of the streets. He was homeless for many years, but now thankfully has his own place. I like to call him the hardest working man in Memphis, because he is often up early “canning.” This means he goes up and down the streets collecting aluminum cans. He pushes a grocery cart, filling it with cans, and when that begins to overflow, he starts to fill large garbage bags with cans. As those bags fill, Cecil attaches them to the sides of his cart and even piles a few bags on top of the cans that fill the cart. It is quite a site to see Cecil’s cart by the end of his collecting work. Cecil let me in on a little secret today.
“I don’t keep the money that I make from canning. I have enough from the little check that I get.”
“Really? What do you do with that money?”
“I give the money to Le Bonheur for the children.”

A tall black man came through the front yard gate at Manna House. He was walking very slowly, using a cane. I had just finished a conversation with another guest when I turned and saw him. He said to me, “You don’t remember me, do you?”
“Well, you’re right. I remember your face, but not your name.”
“Trent…” he began to say.
I finished, “Jones. Trent Jones!”
He smiled and said it had been a long time since he’d been to Manna House.
The last time I had seen Trent, he was panhandling outside the Walgreens at Poplar and Perkins. He didn’t have a cane then.
I asked Trent, “Did you have a stroke?”
“No. I was hit by a car three years ago. Best thing that ever happened to me.”
“What?”
“Yup, God blessed me that day, because that accident got me off the streets. I got the help I needed. I’ve got a place to stay. I even got a car!”
He pointed to a car in the parking lot across the street.
“I just wanted to stop by and say ‘hi.’ You all were always so good to me.”
“Well, thanks Trent, it’s great to see you! Can I get you a cup of coffee since these stairs seem a bit much for you to climb?”
“Sure, make it two spoons of creamer and three spoons of sugar.”
I went and got him coffee.
“Yup, God has blessed me. Never thought a blessing would come through being hit by a car.”