A-L-STELLHORN@webtv.net

The streets were damp and the early morning air swept past his face in a cleansing coolness. All night he had been surrounded by the stench of beer and cigarette smoke. The noise of the evening had sometimes been deafening even though he had worn earplugs.

This was his life right now. The search for expressing his God-given talent, his voice, his grace, his humor continued.

Sometimes these were not enough for him, sometimes he longed for more. The constant travel, the long hours of singing, entertaining, sometimes for very little monetary reward. But, yet, he persevered, as this was what he wanted to do.

There comes a time in his wondering that he simply must be apart from the others, from the hammering of the drums, the screeching of young admirers. The whole scene of the spotlight becomes like a burden upon his heart. And when the lights are extinguished, the instruments quiet, the sense of loneliness creeps in on it's smog-like repugnant cloud, surrounding his soul, encasing it in a dry, dark spirit.

As he walked along the streets of an early morning New Orleans, he came upon a surreal scene. There were cameras, people busy with the "effect of making rain," for a movie scene.

"Hey kid!" someone yelled. "If you want to be in this scene you need to go up there to the office and sign a release form." So, he trudged along toward the office. He was thinking that if he just pulled his jacket over his head and kind of hid and kept walking, he could be in the scene. But, no, thought he better play by the rules.

However, when he finally got to the office, no was there. Pretty soon a big guy came in and said it was too late and he better move on about his business. "Oh well, I might meet Dustin Hoffman some other time," thought the kid.

Continuing on to his hotel he saw quite a few people lining up to board a bus. They all had name tags identifying that they were from some church up north. He stopped and talked to a woman, she told him they had paid a great deal of money to come here to New Orleans to attend meetings and pray for sinners and spread "The Good News." He thinks this is great and, finally, after some conversation, asks for a hug, as he is really in need of a hug......"he is a thirsty child."

She looks at him in disbelief. "I am not going to hug you, get away!" Other people in the background encouraged the woman to hug the kid, but to no avail.

She begins to shun him and turn away from him. He is discouraged and wonders, why, if she is here to spread God's love, what in the world is she really doing?

The kid says to her, "you know, I just left a crack dealer down there on the street corner. He offered me a hug and some of "his kind of love," but I told him I did not need his kind of love. But, I do need God's kind of love, you know the kind Jesus gave." Pretty soon two men stepped forward and gave the kid a hug, they gave him his much needed "drink of water." His thirst for a kind word, a kind look, a kind hug had been quenched.

In this early morning of dampness and searching, all he needed was a "cup of love" to quench his thirst, to be reassured of God's love for him.

Dear Lord, as we go about our life this coming day, help us to stop and reflect on the "cups of love" we need to give to those You bring into our pathway. Help us to remember Jesus' love. Help us not to be so caught up in "who we are, what we do, how we serve, how important we become," or perhaps, the other way around: "how unimportant we feel, how little we have of material clutter." Help us to just be THE LOVE, THE JOY, THE KINDNESS of spirit. Help us to share that spirit and give it to "the thirsty." In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

When the grey clouds of the evening grace the heavens above us, help us look for the soft hues of pinks and purples scattered about those clouds. Help us to be reminded of the beauty that lies among the dark of every day life. Help us to sleep peacefully knowing Your loving spirit surrounds us throughout the nightshade and that when we awake to the glorious morn, we are awakened to a new beginning to walk with You, to serve You, and to "pass around the cup of love to the thirsty."

Copyright 2003 by Altalee Stellhorn