South Coast Rock Tour
~ Day 13 ~
Ruchi…Mark Anthony…Candlelit Dinner…Spoons…David Quick.
When I woke up at 10am, I knew today would be awesome like
every day, but I didn’t realize how jam-packed with awesomeness it would
entail. I’m going to give ya’ll the highlights of the day, for writing about
each beautiful person who would grace my path, would take up 10+ pages. After
writing for a couple hours, I headed downtown to park at the Convention Center.
I had been in Austin for 7 days though it felt more like a month than a week. I
knew many of the street family members and they were getting used to my face.
Some people would come up to me and ask, “Hey, are you the girl with the
rocks?” Within the hundreds of people who live on the streets in Austin, there
are groups and cliques that form. I was grateful to be welcomed into several of
these groups.
Today, I went to the corner of 6th where my
buddies Slim and Mike hang out often. Stayed there for 2 hours and scribed
rocks while Slim “flew his sign”. These are the cardboard signs that people
hold asking for help, money, and food. Saw familiar faces like Casper,
Baltimore, Troy, Popeye, Max, and Hippie Karen who all would sit down on the
marble planter box, check in with how the day was going, and I would ask a
deeper question to find out another chapter of their story. There were also
several others who came through that I had never met. People would sit behind
Slim and I to get high on the bag they just scored, put their packs down to
rest, or trade a bus pass for a few
bucks to go score another bag. They would ask Slim about me and he would say,
“Oh, this is Daisy May. She just got in a week ago. She’s cool.” Before they
would nod out or get sprung on their drug of choice, I would go over and let
them pick a rock from my bag of pebbles with words on them. I can empathize
with them, for I was once the person living for the next bag of numbness.
The have-much people walking the streets for pleasure and
purpose of eating and drinking in the restaurants and bars would pass us by without
turning their heads. In those 2 hrs., only 3 people acknowledged us. They were
together and walked right up to us. They introduced themselves and then started
asking us questions. I knew right away that they were different… they were part
of Mobile Loaves and Fishes. I talked about them in my last post. As Slim had
the attention of the two guys, I asked the girl if she wanted to sit on the
planter box behind the one on the corner. Her name was Ruchi. When I asked if
she was part of MLF, she smiled and said yes. She started asking me questions,
and I decided to tell her the truth of my 3-month Rock journey. She was shocked
and then had more questions. Ruchi told me about her heart for people and how
she had come to be a part of MLF. I gave her a “Joy” rock, for Ruchi visibly
had the joy of the Lord.
The group moved on to the next person they go beyond
acknowledging. Slim went back to flying his sign and I picked up another rock
to draw on. We were quiet and content together. Slim almost scared the Sharpie
out of my hand when he suddenly said, “Hey! You hungry, Daisy May?” I truly
was. “See that white truck coming down the street? When they come to this
corner, go over to them and they will give you food.” It was a Mobile Loaves and
Fishes truck that drives around the Austin area handing out bags of food to
homeless people they saw. They saw Slim and me and drove next to us. I grabbed
a bag for my brother and me. Would so love to be a part of MLF from their side
of the fence, though my role was to “feed” the homeless on their own side.
Sarah, Ruchi, and the kind-eyed woman handing out food were where God had
called them to be. And I was where God had called me to be.
After filling my empty stomach, I gave Slim a big, long hug.
Swung my backpack on and started walking towards Congress St. Went to the
Capital building and then turned around. Lost in thought and emotion, I got
super lost in an unfamiliar side of town. Might have walked a couple miles
before seeing familiar shops. Stopped at a Jimmy Johns and bought a Gargantuan,
not because I was hungry, rather to be able to use their bathroom. Put the
sandwich in my pack and headed down 6th St. Then I saw Mark Anthony.
Hadn’t seen him since last Tues, and had looked for him every day since. When
our eyes locked, we ran to each other and he picked me up in his classic
elevated hug, swinging me around saying, “I didn’t think I would see you again,
my love.” The next 6 hours were spent with Mark Anthony. I gave him the
backpack full of new art supplies and it was fitting that he opened his gifts
today, for tomorrow was his birthday. We sat on the sidewalk as he pulled out
each item like a child. He then drew me a picture with the new supplies. I
pulled out the Gargantuan sandwich and he pulled out 2 candles and a jar… we
had a candlelit dinner right there on the sidewalk of busy 6th St.
It was beautiful.
Mark Anthony and I set up our “art gallery” on the sidewalk
and began making art together. He on his new sketch pads, I on my rocks. We
brought in quite a crowd, but it was other street dwellers who gathered around,
as the street walkers kept walking past. It was there in our homeless sidewalk
audience that we met Spoons. He sat down by us and started playing his spoons,
where he got his street name from. This guy could play! I asked if he knew
“Abby the Spoon Lady” and he not only knew of her, but has played with her
several times. Spoons has lived on the streets most of his life and his tattoos
are a roadmap to the places he has been. So much heartache, Spoons has
experienced several deaths of loved ones, desertion of those still living,
drugs of all types, and tattooed himself and other people along his meandering
path. He was given a “Faith Over Fear” rock.
There were now six of us wanderers gathered together on the
sidewalk talking, laughing, and making our art of all styles. The cops showed
up and told us to move along. They were not mean about it, rather persistent as
they waited for us to pack up and move along. Tristan and Pops went one way and
Mark Anthony, Spoons and I went another. The three of us walked around,
stopping at a few hangouts, for the next hour. It was getting late in the
evening, but that is when 6th St. comes even more alive. My final
hour with my brothers was spent with music as the soundtrack. We came across a
man named David Quick, who was a talented street musician. He came to this spot
every night and would play for the people walking past him. I had made a
“Music” rock a few days ago. I was going to give it to “English”, the guy whose
spot I had unknowingly encroached Saturday night. English was jerk to me and I
wanted to extend kindness for his rudeness. But the rock had remained in my
backpack… all along, meant to be given to David Quick, the musician who didn’t
have a rude bone in his body. His friend, Raul, was with him and he danced to
every song David played. Spoons skillfully played his utensils as percussion to
David’s tenor voice and guitar. Mark Anthony and I drew on paper and rocks
while sitting near the sidewalk stage. We all were artists… making art in our
own ways that God had entrusted us with. We were an artistic family at that
moment. And we made art till midnight.
A sidewalk can be a stage.
A stranger can be a best friend.
A sandwich can be a romantic dinner.
Unshakable Peace and Purpose
Cling to the Rock
Psalm 18:1-2
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