A gift 🎁 from Theo

What’s the best thing you’ve ever found randomly on the street?

This story is not about what I have found randomly on the street, but about a gift I received that the giver found randomly on the street and decided to give to me.

The background to this story is that I used to attend Brunswick Baptist Church regularly and it was the most accepting of diversity that any other church I experienced anywhere.  Several members of the congregation had severe mental health issues and a few lived at Stewart Lodge, where these people who would otherwise be on the streets lived. It meant most of the pension money from these people went to Stewart Lodge.

I had become friends with a gentle,  kind natured person called Theo, who attended Brunswick Baptist Church and lived at Stewart Lodge. Theo was very kind and sweet, and the more judgemental people in our society would judge him as being inferior because his clothes were old and worn. Not me though as I experienced how charming and polite he was. This was around the time that my ex husband was actively involved with someone,  so our marriage was becoming crowded because there was three people in it. Theo was upset about this and wanted to give me something to show he cared, but he had no money because Stewart Lodge would only give him $5 a week out of his pension for him to spend,  thus keeping him in poverty. I would ever Sunday buy him a cappuccino before Church.  One day Theo came to me with a gift he had found on the street. Part of it was a tennis balled sized circular piece of concrete which was obviously thrown out by someone renovating an old fence. He gave it to me wrapped in a bit of ribbon which was the type of ribbon that a florist would use with floral bouquets.  Theo gave me these things with such an innocent and gentle way. It really would’ve been considered trash by most people,  but I was touched that Theo thought of me and wanted to show he cared when he had no money to a spend at all. Often I would give Theo a dollar 💵 ot to, so he could put something into the church collection plate and sometimes I would by him new socks when it was winter and he had cold feet.

I will always remember Theos kindness. Sometimes the poorest amongst us are the most giving  Theo was one of Gods little lambs.