There are many things that come to mind when you think of a
casino. There are those obvious fun and
exciting thoughts that are lined with the thrill of “chance” and “maybe”. There can also be the bitter thoughts of your
hard earned money being thrown into the fountain of neon lit, cartoon sea
creature, battle hungry warrior, pop culture machines. But, what you never expect, at least I didn’t,
is to find God there. I found stories
that touched me and made me laugh and I was able to help what were strangers at
the least obvious of times.
It is no secret that my family in Michigan loves
the casino. I am talkin’ a trip or two a
week and sometimes more. It is the
fruitful, and sometimes not so fruitful, luck of living in a suburb of Detroit with a few big
casinos a small drive away. They take a
moderate amount to use and just spend the day there. It is fun for them. I have been around the block, casino
speaking, a few times and it can be fun to sit and watch and hope and think
“what if”. My parents did get married in Vegas after all.
So, when dad passed it seemed only fitting that we go to the
casino. We would raise a glass to his
favorite machine and just sit in the room he did so many times and share in one
of his, and my mom’s, favorite pass times.
Mom handed out some “fun money” to spend and took the caravan of us all
downtown. Try as I may I am not a good
gambler! Ugh… that money was gone far
before everyone else’s and Lord knows I don’t have the means to continue on my
own. So, I went and found a table at the
Starbucks and started reading all the bible passages I had missed in the days
prior on my phone. (My husband and I are
doing a YouVersion year long study)
I had just started reading Paul’s words in the book of
Romans when the first woman came up to my table of two and asked to sit
down. I, of course, said yes and we
exchanged smiles and I continued reading.
After she was done eating we spoke candidly for a few minutes about
winning and loosing and the fun of it all.
Out of no where she asked me if I would like for her to treat me to some
lunch from Starbucks. I was so shocked,
but declined with the most sincere thank you.
After that she told me how nice it was to meet me and went on her way
with a bright smile. I was so touched by
that simple kindness she extended.
A few moments later an older gentleman came and joined
me. He looked like life had handed him a
difficult plate at times. His clothes
were worn, his shoes seemed to wear remnants of all the streets they had ever
roamed. His hair rocketed in every which
way and his hands looked like he had been a hard worker most of his life. But,
his eyes. His eyes were bright against
his dark skin and his smile was inviting.
He pardoned to bother me, but asked if I could help him with his
phone. I am NO technical genius, but I
thought I would give it a whirl. It was
a small flip, probably pay as you go, phone.
He was trying to figure out how to call his voicemail because he was
supposed to watch his grandson the next day and he had missed a call from his
daughter. Try as I may I couldn’t find
where to call his voicemail. But, in the
midst of the search we went through this man’s contact list and he told me the
rich, hilarious and precious story behind each and every one of his
contacts. It was not a small list. But, he enjoyed telling me the stories and so
I enjoyed listening. By the end he got on
the phone and told his buddy that he had just won enough to get himself a hot
meal at the café. $15. As he was leaving he held my hand for a
moment and muttered “You are a good person, God Bless” and I could only return
his compassion with the same words.
Getting back to Paul’s letter I had two other visitors that
were short lived. One older woman was
with a bunch of girlfriends and had lost all her money in an hour (she must
have been as good as me!) and another woman who never spoke or returned a
smile. She was consumed in some dealings
on her phone that were apparently agitating her.
A chapter or two later my final stranger greeted me and
asked to sit. He was a 30 something,
clean cut and polite man. I started
reading, but I glanced up a couple of times getting the sense he needed to talk
about something, or something was wrong.
I asked if everything was ok and that started a 30 minute conversation
about the turmoil in his life. From the
girlfriend of 13 years he had broken up with to be with this other woman for a
year who was was/is the love of his life.
Things are not going well, though, because of a misunderstanding with
ladies on his phone list and a fur coat being stolen from her car on Christmas
Eve, trust baggage etc. (he had a lot to say).
But, his heart was hurt and he was just given an opportunity to move
away to Iowa and he had never been away from Detroit in his life. So, we just talked for a while about his
reasons to go and his reasons to stay. We
talked about his life with this woman and if it was what he wanted and what we
could see for his future.
My brother and cousin saw me with this man and I am sure
what thoughts they had swirling around in their heads. My sister came and said it was time to go and
so I began to say goodbye to this man, but he just wasn’t ready and more
stories came. My sister came again and I
really had to go this time. I stood up
and held his hand. I told him that God
is watching over him and all he does and he will find the right path if he just
listens. He looked me right in my eyes
and told me how special I was (not that
kind of special… he already told me he liked them tall and dark, aka. not me!). He told me I was a beautiful person inside
and out and he too wished me much happiness.
With a smile we adjourned our brief friendship at a Starbuck’s table and
I waved goodbye.
With the words of Paul swirling in my head along with the
patchwork of people, connections and sharing I had just lived through my heart
was full. So many things going on in
those few days took things away from my heart, but God knew how to fill it
again and how to show me He truly is everywhere. Even in a casino.
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