...one kiss away from God

Recently I've given thought to changing this blog's content a bit. Various disciples wrote letters from prison, especially Paul. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote letters from prison. Now again, my son is writing letters from prison. I’m thinking I should possibly write Letters To Prison being uniquely qualified as noted above and for the sheer reason of working in a state prison for over 18 years now. I wrote him a letter years ago that detailed an account of a humming  bird that got trapped inside our house. He wrote back he had read the letter out loud to the entire ‘run’ of the dormitory.

Meanwhile, I have this lovely little book(let) by the title of House Blend, Warm Stories from Your Favorite Authors. The following is titled Who Kissed Me? by Faun Parish. It reads:

Catherine Booth, a vibrant woman who co-founded the Salvation Army with her husband, frequently visited prisons. One day as she entered a prison, she noticed a woman at the end of the corridor was violently resisting being put into a cell. Catherine immediately proceeded down the hall toward her. As she went the thought, What can I do? Maybe I’ll give her a Bible… no, she’s too upset to read right now. Perhaps she might need some money… no, money will not help her. Before Catherine had fully settled in her mind what she was going to do, she found herself face-to-face with the matted-haired young woman. Instinctively she kissed her on the cheek and then walked away.

The next day Catherine returned, and the warden told her she had to go visit that woman they had booked the previous day. She had kept asking, “Who was it that kissed me? Who was it that kissed me?” Catherine found her and asked gently, “Why do you ask?” The woman hesitantly replied, “When I was a baby my father left the family. We lived in a dank tenement basement, and my mother caught tuberculosis. When I was seven my mother died. Before she died, she took me in her arms and kissed me. That was the last time before yesterday I knew anyone cared.”

Sometimes unlovely people are just one kiss away from God.

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  Matthew 25:40

Thanksgiving blessings to you and yours,

Tamara