Thanksgiving 2006 was the first official holiday hosted by my oldest sister in her then new house. I had invited some close friends to join us, a Russian mother/daughter team. While preparing my contribution to the Thanksgiving meal I received a call from my friends asking if they might bring along a close family friend of theirs "with no other place to go." Of course I said this would be fine as we all know that this is exactly what Thanksgiving is all about.
As I picked up my friend Marina on my way out to the house, I was informed that I was to pick up Oscar (the secondary guest). As she told me the address I immediately recognized it as the Union Gospel Mission downtown. (You can't work 9 years on ambulances in Seattle and not have them all memorized.) As we rolled up to the front door, Oscar was waiting. He walked with a serpentine gait and used a cane; Oscar had cerebral palsy. Oscar also had a PhD in Russian studies and a history of aplastic anemia.
Long story short, we all enjoyed a wonderful meal together. When it came time for the festivities to end, I found myself once again driving Oscar back to the mission. In the car on the way back he thanked us profusely for inviting him and said he had a wonderful time that he will never forget. "How can I pray for you," he asked. Though Oscar had "nothing" he wanted to express his gratitude and prayer was the most valuable thing he could offer. Oh, what a powerful gift it is! We prayed for more of God's love because love is: patient, kind, forgiving, selfless, rejoices in truth, never fails.
I don't know how what prayer does or how it works. All I know is that God tells us to do it and when you talk to God...
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