In the middle of the day,
Decided to pause by the altar
And see who had come to pray.
Just then the back door opened,
A man came down the aisle,
The Priest frowned as he saw
The man hadn't shaved in a while.
His shirt was kind of shabby
And his coat was worn and frayed,
The man knelt, he bowed his head,
Then rose and walked away.
In the days that followed,
Each noon time came this man,
Each time he knelt just for a moment,
A lunch pail in his lap.
Well, the Priest's curiosity grew,
and, He decided to stop the man and ask him,
'What are you doing here?'
The man said, he worked down the road.
Lunch was half an hour.
Lunchtime was his prayer time,
For finding strength and power.
'I stay only a few minutes, see,
Because the factory is so far away;
As I kneel here talking to the Lord,
This is kind of what I say:
'I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN. DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY.
SO, JESUS, THIS IS JIM CHECKING IN TODAY.'
The Priest feeling foolish,
Told Jim that was fine.
He told the man he was welcome
To come and pray just anytime
Time to go, Jim smiled, said 'Thanks.'
He hurried to the door.
The Priest knelt at the altar,
He'd never done it before.
His cold heart melted, warmed with love,
And met with Jesus there.
As the tears flowed, in his heart,
He repeated old Jim's prayer:
'I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU, LORD,
HOW HAPPY I'VE BEEN, SINCE WE FOUND EACH OTHERS FRIENDSHIP AND YOU TOOK AWAY MY SIN.
I DON'T KNOW MUCH OF HOW TO PRAY, BUT I THINK ABOUT YOU EVERYDAY
SO, JESUS, THIS IS ME CHECKING IN TODAY.'
Past noon one day, the Priest noticed
That Jim hadn't come.
As more days passed without Jim,
He began to worry some.
At the factory, he asked about him,
Learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried,
But he'd given them a thrill.
The week that Jim was with them,
Brought changes in the ward.
His smiles, a joy contagious.
Changed people, were his reward.
The head nurse couldn't understand
Why Jim was so glad,
When no flowers, calls or cards came,
Not a visitor he had.
The Priest stayed by his bed,
He voiced the nurse's concern:
No friends came to show they cared.
He had nowhere to turn.
Looking surprised, Jim spoke
Up and with a winsome smile;
'the nurse is wrong, she couldn't know,
That He's in here all the while
Everyday at noon He's here,
A dear friend of mine, you see,
He sits right down, takes my hand,
Leans over and says to me:
'I JUST CAME AGAIN TO TELL YOU,
JIM, HOW HAPPY I HAVE BEEN,
SINCE WE FOUND THIS FRIENDSHIP, AND I TOOK AWAY YOUR SIN.
ALWAYS LOVE TO HEAR YOU PRAY,
I THINK ABOUT YOU EACH DAY, AND
SO JIM, THIS IS JESUS CHECKING IN TODAY.'
If this blesses you, pass it on. Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart
May God hold you in the palm of His hand
And Angels watch over you.
So this is me ... "Just Checking In"
Father Tomas Del Valle-Reyes
Discovering 21 Century
P. O. BOX 1170New York, NY 10018
212-244-4778
Radiosigloxxi@aol.com
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