More Churchosity, More Fun!

Or is that Churchaliciousness?

When was the last time that you did something that you did something that made you smile the rest of the day? How about something that made your wife smile with you the rest of the day?

Earlier this week, I was hanging with my homies downtown at Catholic Charities, doing the food distribution thing. Around the middle of the day, a black couple came in carrying a newborn. The baby couldn't have been more than a month old. The couple looked to be in their late twenties and the man had just lost his job. As one of the other workers took their information and put them into our system, I watched the dad playing with his little baby's foot, saying sweet things to it. It was incredibly beautiful. Mom looked on lovingly, but was clearly exhausted.

Having been there, in one way or another, I couldn't help tearing up. While the other intake worker did everything she could to find baby supplies (we almost never have them, but diligent searching turned up a little bit), I turned away from the scene and pulled some cash out of my wallet. I'd been to the ATM recently and I had a tidy sum. After the couple got their food and what few supplies we could find, I followed them out into the courtyard.

I stopped them before they left. I told them I'd been in their shoes and asked if I could help. They said yes and I slipped them $100. They were overjoyed. There were tears in everyone's eyes (there are some in mine now as I type this) and we said God bless you and stuff like that to each other all in a jumble of emotion-choked voices. Kindness can be confusing, I guess. I asked them to stop by a Catholic church when they got back on their feet and throw a few bucks in the poor box. They smiled and said they would.

It was completely awesome.

I don't share this with you to boast or take credit for it. My parents took me to church, my wife brought me to Cursillo, my cursillista buddies inspire me and St. Thomas Aquinas, CS Lewis, GK Chesterton and Father Jim Sichko keep my head on straight while the Newsboys, Audio Adrenaline and DC Talk entertain me. I didn't help that couple because I'm a cool guy, I helped them out because I found myself in a river of Christian kindness and was carried along by the current. Giving them the money was just natural. The farther I go into that river, the faster the current takes me along and the more love and happiness I feel.

Yeah, this part is pretty, but it gets better up ahead. It always gets better the farther you go.
H/T: Wannasmile.