I was reading a story in our paper about one of the local school principles...and how he used to be homeless as a kid. His parents divorced when he was 3...his mom was always under the influence of something. Social services took him away and after being bounced around in foster homes and group homes, at the age of nine (after witnessing a teenager in the group home he was in hang himself) this kid ran away. All he had was the clothes on his back...he slept under bushes. The kids would taunt him and call him Stinky (and worse I'm sure). Once in a while another kid would let him sneak into their house and they would give him food and let him sleep out of sight. He would get out in the mornings before the parents found him. There WAS one family that had wanted to take him in...they had been neighbors of this boy's mother. They had 8 kids of their own but they really wanted to help him. The mother wouldn't let them...so he got taken away by social services.
One night, while sleeping under a bush in the cold and rain, he prayed to God to just let him die. He just got tired of it all. He said he prayed along time then fell asleep. When he awoke in the morning he saw a rainbow and thought he had died and went to Heaven. Then he realized he hadn't but said he was feeling better.
As he walked down the street, it just so happened one of those 8 kids from that family that had wanted to take him in saw him. He ran over and said, "Hey! We have wondered where you went! Come home with me. We would love to have you!" And the rest was history. He lived with them for the rest of his school years. He finally had a family and food and clothes and ppl who cared.
He wound up in some branch of the military after high school but attended college to become a teacher. Now he marvels at being able to afford his own house, two cars, and have a family of his own.
God did not answer his prayers the way he wanted...but God answered.
Stories like that always bring streams of tears to my eyes.
I look around at where my family is compared to just 6 years ago. We are ALL in a whole different place...and I'm not talking about the town or the house.
I do, however, marvel at us sitting in a home we can call our own, again. AND God even supplied us with a lovable goofy pup!
God has been there and answered our prayers. He might not have answered them in a way we had at first wanted, but we left our hearts and our minds open and had faith. Becuz of that, the answer led us to such a better place.
On this Thanksgiving Holiday, I hope that we can all have faith that our prayers will be answered and the open hearts to follow where we are led.
Blessings for everyone!
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