My Night with John.....

Well...It's been 1 year....almost to the day....since I met John. I never did post this story in my blog, but I have been thinking about John alot lately, especially with the cold winter we are having here in Toronto, and so I thought I would share this with you now. (Scroll down for story and more photos)

While on a business trip to San Antonio, Texas, I had the opportunity to meet John......a sweet man living on the streets of San Antonio. I was so drawn to him. God put it on my heart to ask him to join me for dinner. John accepted my invitation. He was the sweetest, most sincere man I've ever met. He was humble and shy. His voice was so calm and soothing.

Noticing the worn clothes on his back, I asked John if he would like to go shopping for some new clothes. He accepted! So off to Macy's we went on a huge shopping spree!! What a great time we had! When it came time to say goodbye, we left each other in front of Macy's. He went one way, and I the other. I got to my hotel room (20 min. walk), only to realize that I had one of his clothing bags with his new jeans! I immediately took off running....where, I didn't know...I only vaguely remember him saying that he lived under a bridge around St. Mary's street. I ran for blocks, in the rain, praying that I would see those BIG white "Macy's" bags somehow in the dark. So much time had gone by, and I didn't know where I was running, but I was so happy when through the crowd, I saw 2 huge white "Macy's" bags!! And then I got a glimpse of a long, dirty trench coat, and a man with grey & white, scraggly hair. I couldn't believe it! I was out of breath when I caught up with him.

Now standing outside a McDonald's....he graciously asked me if he could buy me a coke. He wanted to buy "ME" a coke?? I accepted. I knew that my night with John was not meant to be over yet. We sat and talked about so much.

Now it may sound like John was blessed by this, but truthfully, I was the one who was blessed. I wanted to share this with you....this is not about me....this is about someone we would normally pass on the streets, which I have done so many times, but I am so glad that I had the opportunity to get a glimpse into this sweet man's soul....which resulted in a wonderful evening.

I believe success is measured in a different way...not the typical world's way of material posessions and status, but who we are on the inside when life doesn't quite go the way we would like it to. John's kind heart taught me that. He was not a bitter man.....only a humble and very loving man.

--- I was truly blessed .

While I believe that giving money as we pass someone living on the streets is helpful, I would encourage anyone next time to maybe speak to them, or even have a coffee with them. You will be surprised at how your thinking will change in alot of areas........and they will not forget the time you spent with them....which means so much more than a few coins.

---What an AWESOME night! I will always remember "MY NIGHT WITH JOHN".

Silvana ~

I Can Only Imagine.......

I often get asked who sings a particular song on my website, so I thought I would post the video to that song.......which is called "I Can Only Imagine" by Mercy Me. I love this band!! And this happens to be one of my favorite songs, so I really hope it blesses your heart as it does mine!
Silvana ~