Remembering when it rains...

John answered, "Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same." ~ Luke 3:11

What a lot of folks don't realize is that prior to my illness seven years ago, my life was VERY different!  Not only was I serving as a Chaplain in the Medical Center made famous by such people as Dr. Red Duke, who's Texas twang, and closing comments on morning network programs, "From the Texas Medical Center, Houston, Texas, I'm Dr. Red Duke," but I was also serving New Covenant Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).  The new church start, that reminded everyone that we need "A place where doubts are welcomed and wounds are embraced," was the witness for many who lived under bridges, had a past, and seeked to find a place to belong.

It wasn't unusual for me to show up to a meeting either with no shoes, or a very sad looking pair of shoes on, because I had given my shoes away to someone who needed a pair more than I did.

So often I remember faces, voices that were then and now silent, and makes me realize that there is still a need for social justice, and ministry.   

As the city prepares for the Super Bowl next week, it also brought back memories of searching for people I knew from the street that suddenly disappeared.  What many people fail to realize is that when a major sporting event such as the Super Bowl, or World Series comes to Houston, the city does "sweeps" to move the homeless out of view.

Afterall, what sports fan wants to be reminded that the poor are with us always?

While a lot has been done over the years to relieve some of the issues of homelessness in our community, there are still those who remain, even when it rains....

I wonder when it rains...

Sometimes when it rains
I find that I smile
and think of boyhood days
when I would sit and play.

Sometimes when it rains
I think of the time
when I would run out into the rain
among the sycamores
and proclaim
"I'll grow up tomorrow!"

Sometimes when it rains
I remember the time
when I watched our calves
dance among the
spring grass, running
so fast.

Sometimes when it rains
I think of the times
that we would shed our shoes
and walk barefoot
as we crossed the creek after school.

Sometimes when it rains
I remember the times
when it would rain for hours
and fill several buckets
that we would use to bathe
when summer's spell had
dried up our well.

Sometimes when it rains,
rains for hours without break
I now think of people
who have no where to go
no home of their own
no food to eat
and only rain water to drink.

Sometimes when it rains
rains for days without break
I think of parents
who live under overpasses
in plastic bag shelters
suffering at the mercy of angry winds.

Sometimes when it rains
rains so hard that hail joins in
I think of broken people
in search of new beginnings
and wonder if they still see God's promise
in the rainbow when 
the rain stops.. 

Stay in God's grip!

G. Todd Williams (c) 2017

(I took this photo in 2003 while visiting a member of the church I was the pastor of at the time.  The person had lived here for almost 5 months.  I sat with him, shared a sandwich, and listened to what brought him to this place.  About two weeks after this, he simply disappeared, as so many people do who live in the shadows under bridges.)