Okay… Hear me out. For those of you thinking I only have this guy on here because of what his sign says, I say, “Partly.” His sign could say “Have a nice day!” or “Kiss me, I’m Irish!” Although I DO doubt that.

I admire him because I’ve been seeing this guy off and on at random intersections all around Lawrenceville for the last 4 years we’ve lived here. Always with his chalkboard with a different daily message. Some days he keeps the previous day’s message. Perhaps he got some extra honks with it the day before. This morning’s message was, “Jesus! Is in you” Yesterday was “Jesus! The Cure.” Earlier this week it was, “Forsake this world.” Last week he got artistic and drew an eye with a cross in the middle of the eye, with the message, “What are YOU focused on?” I see him everyday now that I have a new job with a new route to take. Some people honk. Some wave. Some just stare and others probably don’t even see him at all. That’s okay though. He keeps smiling and waving to whoever will cast a glance. In between cycles of the light he reads from the Bible he’s always got in hand. He’s not homeless, either. I think some people suspect it, thinking that he’s just got nothing better to do, or nowhere else to be. “THAT must be the reason for his insanity!” No, not that, either. He drives there in the car you see parked behind him in the adjoining parking lot. He dresses well and brings coffee, too.

Okay… I do happen to think that it’s a bonus that he’s out there spreading the word of God. I am in awe of his spirit. Not just his Chrisitian spirit, necessarily. The desire to get up at the crack of dawn to go out and hold a sign on the street corner… In hopes that WE would read it. Think about it. The only people you normally see out on the street corner are ASKING YOU for something. Car washes, people looking for donations, flower peddlers… Even people dressed as Uncle Sam and The Statue of Liberty want you to come in and buy a mattress. But this guy? He doesn’t want anything from us. He actually wants to GIVE us something. Free. A message. Maybe you could honk for him. That would be nice.

Like I said, his sign could say anything and I’d still post it here. His spirit and love for doing it is what I envy. When was the last time I got out there and jumped up and down for something? Y’know?

It asks me to live life with wider eyes (Save your Asian jokes… =) and see the light that beams from others  Maybe you’ll open yours wider too, now.

But you can’t totally reject the allure and importance of the message, either.

I’m sure that the “secret” to his spirit, love and motivation lies in his message, after all.

Which isn’t really a “secret” now, seeing as to how he’s out there, everyday, trying to share it with us in the first place.

Thanks for reading.