South Coast Rock Tour
~ Day 36 ~
Savannah…Gypsy…Shaggy…Super Moon.
It was oh so good to rest for a couple days and spend
quality time with my long-time-loyal friend. Still, I was excited to move on to
the next mission field the Spirit had planned. I was itching to get back on the
streets and be in a “I-don’t-know-who-or-what-is-next” state of heart. The way
God has wired me, the unknown and unexpected bring more comfortableness than
the comfort of what is known or expected.
It was hard to pull away from the long embrace of my friend,
but I knew there were others waiting on the path who needed genuine hugs. Not
knowing where I was headed to, I simply drove East. Tumbler could veer left and
head to Savannah or keep heading to the intercostal islands of Georgia. There
was not a text message from God or even a nudging as to which way to go.
Sometimes, when there or two or more options in front of us, there isn’t always
one specific option that is the only one God wants us to take. Granted,
sometimes this is the case. I, and maybe you as well, can put so much time,
thought, and energy into trying to figure out what God wants us to do, that we
fail to remember that He will be with us regardless of the right or left hand
turn we make. Again, I’m not saying that we should choose disobedience,
darkness, and sin-driven choices and expect that God is going to be for that.
Yet even in those choices, He is with us and will use the broad path to bring
us back to the narrow path. In today’s choice of which road to take, I didn’t
sense that either one was a bad choice. God allowed His pilgrim to choose which
road, and had purpose in both regardless of which one was traveled down.
Tumbler’s tires were turned towards Savannah… beautiful purposes awaited. And
there was one person in particular who was waiting for a genuine love. He would
receive more than one big hug.
During this journey, it has been clearly shown that where
Tumbler is parked is not by chance. The specific spot is usually a divine
set-up. Such was the case again today. We drove around the downtown area
observing the rows of shops, restaurants and hotels. Savannah is such a cool
town. After the second loop and drive through, I prayed about where to park.
The spot wasn’t lit up in a glowing beam of light from Heavenly, stating “Park
Here”, yet when I turned on this particular street, I just felt the need to
pull over and park. It was 2pm and I put enough money in the meeting box to let
Tumbler sleep till 6pm. My backpack was slung on my back with a louder than
normal grunt. It had been two days since I wore it and my shoulders were
shocked out of their short vacation. My pace wanted to be quick, as my heart
was excited to be back on the streets. I had to force myself to slow down. Good
thing I did, for I might have missed Gypsy sitting on the other side of the
street. He was two blocks away from where Tumbler was parked. “God, you amaze
me. Thank you for being so strategic in your everything.”
There were places all along the street that had historic
stone steps that led down to a cobblestone street that hugged the river. Where
Gypsy sat was one of those places. People commonly passed him either coming up
from the river or going down the steps to the famous street. He was “spanging” which
is asking people for spare change when they walk by. He was definitely in a
good spot for it. I walked by him, not sure yet if God wanted me to stop. “Hey
girl, I would ask you for 57 cents, but you look like you’re looking to post up
in your own spot.” --- “Ha! I’m just looking for a spot to write on my rocks.
Would you mind if I sat with you for a bit?” --- “Pretty girl like you who
wants to sit with a dirty Deadhead like me… come on down.” He patted the spot
next to him that had more dirt than grass. Gypsy is well known in Savannah and
well known in most large cities. He followed the Grateful Dead group since he
was a teenager. He also loves whiskey, and the progression of his addiction has
taken precedent over keeping up with the concert tour. His face was red from
the sun as well as the enlarged blood vessels from years of heavy drinking. My
own face used to look like his. We sat together and talked about many things.
He gave me the verbal tour of Savannah’s homeless spots. Gypsy had a lot to
say. It didn’t always make sense, but I listened. It seemed he needed to be
heard. He asked people for money in between our one-sided conversation. Several
rocks were scribed as we sat at the stair’s top entrance. One of those rocks
was a small stone with “Press Through” written on it with a white pen. “Someone
is going to really need that rock, Daisy. Just like I really needed someone
like you to just sit with me. It’s hard being ignored for most of the day.” I
pulled out my bag of pebbles and extended my arm towards Gypsy. “Pick one.
Whatever one you choose is the one God knew you needed.” He reached his hand in
the bag and pulled one out. The small rock had “Love” written on it. Gypsy
smiled and said, “This is perfect. I’m never going to lose this.” He put it in
his pocket and began talking again, pouring out the pent-up words that needed
to be voiced. Isn’t this the truth of what every person needs? …to be heard.
After some time had passed while sitting on the patchy
grass, a young guy was noticed crossing the street. Lots of people had done the
same, yet he distinctly stood out. He was a street brother, a handsome one at
that, and he had an orange and white cat on his shoulders. “Hey Gypsy, who’s
the new friend?” --- “This here is Daisy. She draws on rocks.” He pulled the
“Love” rock from his pocket and showed it to the young man. “Very nice, Daisy. I
like you already. How do I get one of those rocks?” He sat down on the other
side of me and the cat crawled down his arm and laid half on the ground, half
on my shoes. “That’s D-O-G. She likes you already too. My name is Savannah
Shaggy.” Not going to lie, I liked Shaggy already as well. The three of us sat
there for a while and Gypsy focused more on spanging as Shaggy’s voice took the
microphone. I was going to give him the “Press Through” rock, but when Gypsy
told me that it was a specific person, I put it back in my backpack. God would
put that special person in my path two days later when He led me back to Jacksonville.
Shaggy got a “Truth” rock and he said it was perfect, for he is all about the
truth. While we sat there talking, I touched up his faded tattoos with my
Sharpie markers. While tracing the lines and coloring in some of the empty
crevices, he said, “Dang, that looks so ‘sca’.” --- “What does ‘sca” mean?” I
asked. “Savannah College of Arts… SCA. It’s a way of saying something is
artistic.” I now have a new word that I use. “Not going to lie, I also like the
human touch, though.” Don’t we all.
We parted ways with Gypsy and another young guy who had just
rolled into Savannah. Shaggy and I walked to a park that sits in the center of
town. Lots of people come here to sit on the cement steps that surround the
park. He wanted to introduce me to some of his friends. I met Leaf, Kid,
Cricket, Tiny Katy and many others. Gave rocks and hugs to all of them. They
welcomed me into their family. There were four dogs playing together and D-O-G-
did not get down from Shaggy’s shoulders. We stayed there till things got rowdy
with one of the girls who was trying to be the matriarch of the family. Her
excessive consumption of alcohol today slurred her voice that yelled and swore
about things that didn’t justify her rage. Leaf and I were in a deep
conversation about choosing joy in all circumstances. The girl’s anger painted
a picture of how not to act. Leaf kept asking for hugs as did Kid and Tiny
Katy. I loved each of them so deeply. They were starving for affection. And I
was not starving, but was growing increasingly hungry for food as time passed.
It was 4pm and I hadn’t eaten since having a banana that morning. Shaggy must
have heard my stomach growling, for he asked, “You hungry? There is a soup
kitchen that serves food at 4:30. We could walk there together. Plus, I kind of
want to spend some one-on-one time with you.” As did I. It took a while for us
to walk there and it provided the two of us to learn more about our stories.
Not knowing how long we would be gone, I needed to put more
money in the meter box where Tumbler was parked. Told Shaggy I needed 15min by
myself and he was reluctant to let me leave his side. Promising I would return,
he sat down by a McDonalds, D-O-G hopping down to lay down by his feet. I
rounded the corner and ran to my truck several blocks away. With my heavy
backpack, the run was awkward. Threw in enough money to keep Tumbler legal till
8pm and made the ridiculous-looking run back through the blocks. Stopped to
collect my breath and rounded the corner to where Shaggy was waiting. “You came
back! Thought I wouldn’t see you again. People always say they will come back,
but they never do. I want to keep you forever, girl.” We continued walking and
talking. When we reached the soup kitchen, he introduced me to many more
people. This feeding spot was just a small building that had a kitchen and
large room where hundreds of people came to eat every day. Shaggy couldn’t come
in because they didn’t allow animals inside. “I’m not hungry. Just wanted you
to be full. I’ll wait outside for you.” He was truth-full and followed through
on his word.
We then walked to another park that was outside the downtown
area. It had cobblestone paths that wove through the tall and broad trees that
had moss hanging from their branches. This place was beautiful… and the perfect
place to spend more quality time with my new friend. He chose a wooden bench
with tree trunks on either side of the armrests. D-O-G had a shoe string for a
leash that was attached with a small carabiner to one of Shaggy’s belt loops.
He undid the clip and let D-O-G chase the squirrels that were playing hide and
seek around the bases of the trees. We laughed at the cat’s feeble attempt to
catch the jittery critters. It was a good softening to the depth of
conversation that ensued for the next hour. Shaggy opened up about his
childhood, his family, his belief in God, his choice to live on the streets,
and the pain that came from both his home-life and street-life. He was not
having a pity party nor was he sharing it to provoke empathy… it was simply the
truth. Like his rock. I leaned my head against his shoulder at times and his
arm occasionally wrapped around my shoulder. It was innocent… and sweet to
extend affection that didn’t have ulterior motives. We were strangers four
hours ago, and now we sat together as two friends who had bonded as if we knew
each other for four years.
The sun was going down and the park’s lights came on. As the
temperature dropped, Shaggy offered me his jacket. D-O-G was sleeping under the
bench, tired from the cat and squirrel game. “Want to walk down by the river
for a while?” I nodded and he picked up D-O-G and placed him on his shoulders.
We went through the big park again, but it was empty of the street family. We
walked a few more blocks to another park where we met Tiny Katy again. I love
hugging this lady and after a long embrace, I gave her a rose that I had picked
on the way. While we talked, Shaggy’s name had been yelled from an SUV that
pulled up to the park. He went over to it and was talking with who I learned
was his sister. Shaggy called me over and I gave Tiny Katy one last hug. I met
Shaggy’s sister and there were 3 other street brothers in the car. “She got a
hotel room for tonight. Let’s go.” He had already put his backpack inside the
car and was halfway in the middle seat that had 2 of the guys and their bags
scrunched inside. I wanted to get in. I wanted to go to go to the hotel. I
wanted to stay with Shaggy. But my heart did not match my mind’s desire. God
was saying “No” to going. I shook my head and told Shaggy to go ahead. I did
not tell him that I would see him again… for I knew this was a promise I
couldn’t keep. He got out, pulled me into hug and whispered, “Please, don’t
leave me.” This did not help the fight that was raging inside me. I pulled away
from his strong arms then walked away. Shaggy got in the car and it pulled
away. It was such an abrupt parting.
The almost five hours with Shaggy was so intense. It felt
like five days. And then it was over in seconds without warning. I didn’t like
it and I was not happy with God. And as I walked away, I let Him know by having
a little temper tantrum. My steps were that of a kid who wasn’t allowed to go
the party with their friends. I kicked some of the fallen leaves on the
sidewalk. But below my anger, was sadness… I already missed Shaggy. I walked to
the place where I met Gypsy. Took the historic steps down to the cobblestone
street to the river where Shaggy and I had planned to go just 10 minutes ago.
Still upset with God for suddenly snatching Shaggy, I plopped down on a bench. I
was not “Choosing Joy” like Leaf and I had talked about earlier. My head had
been downcast the whole time, and when I looked out towards the river, the
sight before me made me say “Oh Wow!” out loud. The huge, bright super moon was
coming up behind a hotel that was lit up with beautiful white lights. The
moon’s brightness bounced off the river and made a streak of reflective light
off the water. It was breath-taking. Tears formed in my eyes not only at this
beautiful display of God’s awesomeness, but also at my childish pity party with
my sovereign, holy, Heavenly Father who gives and takes away. In this case, He
took away and then gave. I repented of my lack of trust and questioning His
steadfast goodness. I thanked Him for the time He gave me with my new friend.
Knowing I wouldn’t see Shaggy again, I asked God to send others to love my
street brother. Others to hug him. Others to plant seeds in the soil of his
heart. Others to water those seeds. I fell in love with Shaggy and his handsome
yet hurting heart.
Watching the super moon rise into the Savannah sky was a
beautiful way to end my time on this mission field. Only one day was spent
here, but it was enough. I was full… and tired. I didn’t realize how exhausted
I was until Tumbler pulled onto the road that led us down to the intercostal
Georgia islands. Might this have been more reason as to why God had said “No”
to going to the hotel tonight? Probably… among other reasons only He knew. I
pulled into a large rest stop off the highway and my eyes were heavy and red. A
phone conversation was had with my dear friend Kellee Stall. Such an
encouragement she is. Such a kindred friend she is. Such a tender heart for
Jesus she has. I had crawled into the backseat of Tumbler while we talked and
was laying down as she began to pray for me. Her soft voice and Spirit-filled
words lulled me to near slumber. I fell into a deep sleep minutes after we hung
up with “I love you’s.” It had been a full day of love… and purpose. Tomorrow would
hold its own purpose divinely planned out by God and His faithful goodness.
One plants.
Another waters.
But it is God
Who makes it grow.
Unshakable Peace and Purpose
Cling to the Rock
Psalm 18:1-2
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