By Staff
We've had more porch-sitting weather! Wonderful! My friends, Jim and Ellen from Kalamazoo, passed on this story about "Twinkies and Root Beer." It is certainly worthy of telling and even retelling on the porch. Enjoy and repeat.
A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of root beer and started his journey.
When he had gone about three blocks from his home, he met an elderly man sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons. The boy climbed onto the bench and sat next to the man. He opened his suitcase and was about to take a drink of root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry. The little boy offered the man a Twinkie.
The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at the boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered the old man a root beer.
Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted. They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.
As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.
When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?"
"I had lunch with God," he replied. Before his mother could respond he added, "You know what? God's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"
Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his father's face and asked, "Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"
"I ate Twinkies and drank root beer in the park with God." Before the son could respond, the old man added, "You know, he's much younger than I expected!"
Once in a while we chance to meet someone, quite unexpectedly-someone who touches us emotionally and brings a moment of unique happiness.
Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. Many of us truly believe that people come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime, and we are better for their presence.