The homeless shelter was serving a hot breakfast early Sunday morning. Jack Tellen had volunteered at the shelter since he was honorably discharged five years before. He was a constant in the lives of the people who came to the shelter and felt saddened when one of them stopped coming. He came to accept the revolving door policy because he knew they’d be back sometime soon.
But on this morning, the lives of those in the shelter were about to change.
***
Jimmy came to the shelter, pale and soiled. True, his appearance did frighten the people around him, but he remembered the angel that had saved his life. He forgave them, and his heart filled with empathy.
It has to be an angel, he thought, for what human possessed such a gift?
He took his place in line, despite the shuddering shuns of others. They were frightened at first, but James made a quick comment that not only put them at ease but also provided a reason for intrigue. Jack was among them.
Jimmy was eating alone when Jack sat across from him. He didn’t understand why, but Jimmy was not like any of the others he’d come to understand and respect. He was larger than life and carried an army of knowledge.
“When were you discharged?” Jack asked. “Twelve years ago.”
They talked for more than an hour, and the stories that James told drew an audience. When they had finished, and the shelter was closing for the morning, Jack asked Jimmy an important question.
“Would you speak at the convention tomorrow?”
The convention was for veterans of the new war, protesting the continued combat in the Middle East. They preached peaceful transitions across the world. And Jimmy chose to speak, for he accepted his fate.