Sharing the Peace with "Sandy"
(a true story)

On entering our former church for Sunday Service one August morning, members of our congregation were treated to the sight of 5 police cars in our driveway, and an equal number of police officers in our narthex!

It all began when a disheveled man, carrying items in a plastic shopping bag, sat down in the chair in front of our Visitor Book stand. He took off his shoes and began to write lengthy, though totally unintelligible paragraphs in the book which mentioned Television sets, Albert Einstein, seeds, plants and other unrelated items.

The officers treated "Sandy" (that was not his real name) very kindly. They talked with him gently, and then took him and our visitor Book to the police station. It was clear that "Sandy" was in need of help, shelter and — most importantly — psychiatric care.

At times like this one realizes how powerless we are to offer such a person anything useful. But this is also true for many other people we meet every day who are quite normal. A man I knew years ago agonized over such matters. His solution was to take a moment, think of the Love of God, sense the power of His Peace — and then without anyong being aware, quietly projected this to those he passed on the street; to the driver of the truck roaring past on the turnpike; to the pilot overhead coming in for a landing.

Perhaps when you finish reading this short commentary, you might like to stop a moment, think of the Love and Peace of our Lord, think of "Sandy" and the other nameless people you walk past every day. Then, for just a brief moment within your heart, share your Peace with "Sandy" and with the others — before God.