June 5th 2016

June 5th

So I start off today at McDonald's. They have any size iced coffee for $1.49 so I get myself the largest one they got. I then check around for outlets, no luck, so I head outside and start playing some music.

I've been playing for a while now and I'm starting to run low on originals. I'm into the first few lines of freezing at night when a nice man gives me an egg McMuffin. I forget about the song and chow down.

I finish the egg McMuffin and am surprisingly full, I usually can eat two before I'm full but I guess all the coffee contributed to that. I still have some coffee so I finish up the rest of my songs while I drink the rest of that. I finish both at the same time. I then decide maybe I'll go to church today, it is Sunday.

I leave McDonald's and a few blocks away I see some kids playing in a park so I take a seat at a nearby bus bench and play them a few songs, but my throat still needs to rest after my McDonald's set so I stop after the fourth one. Then I continue on

So I'm walking around trying to find a church but I don't see any, which is weird because usually I see churches all over the place when I walk. I figure maybe this is a sign that I'm not supposed to go to church today.

I keep walking lost in thought and something tells me to turn down this block. I think my park sense is tingling and  a nap wouldn't be bad but then about a block off the main road I see before me the First Church of God. I guess this is the church I'm supposed to be at.

I approach the church and check what time mass is. I see Bible class at 930 and below that it says worship at 1045. I check my phone and it's 945 now so I decide to park my stuff near the door. I think about going in but decide to play my guitar and wait until worship time because I don't want to disturb the classes. As I'm getting myself situated a car pulls in and out steps an older man and woman with a very young little girl. The girl sees me with the guitar and gets all excited saying something I can't hear and pointing at me so I wave and she waves back. I then start playing Eye Cannot See and she goes crazy. Then all three of them start heading to the door. When they near me we greet and bless each other. They even seem happy to see me there. Looks like I found the right church.

I finish the song and then play Mobil Mart Manic King. I still haven't had a cigarette today yet though so I decide to try and hunt one down. I was hoping when that car pulled in earlier that God was bringing me a cigarette but I saw no indication that they smoke so I didn't even ask.

I walk back to the main road and at first I don't think I'm going to have any luck but then I see a little strip mall, it seems pretty empty but maybe I'll find a smoker pole or ashtray ripe for the taking. No such luck, however, when I near the end I see a sign for walmart across the street, thank god.

At Walmart I don't see anybody smoking but I check the ashtray and find half of a smashed out Newport so I grab it. The end is really smashed in and I wonder if it will even pull. Thats when i see a smokers post. I check that and find half of a Marlboro light. I'm in the mood for a menthol so I start with the Newp and it draws just fine. Then I turn my head and see a man smoking next to me, I comment to him that I wish I'd seen him a minute sooner, he laughs at that. Then he takes a few more drags off his cigarette and tosses about half of it on the ground still burning so I pick it up and begin smoking it. I put the one I already had lit before out figuring I'd like to enjoy the fresher cigarette first.

After finishing the man's clip I play a few songs. When it gets to be 1026 I decide to start heading back to the church while I spark up the other half Newport I have.

When I get to the church people are entering for mass and I join them. As I'm walking through the door I'm greeted very warmly as I'm given the pamphlet outlining today's mass.

I take a seat right in the middle on the right half of the room, I feel it says I want to be here, please welcome me, and I suppose I was correct because a few people approach me and greet me, I could feel the love in the room. The couple I saw with the little girl take a seat at the pew in front of me. The girl smiles at me and I wave at her again. Then worship began.

I have to say this was nothing like any church I'd ever been to, this was more like a concert. It starts off with a guitarist playing like 4 or 5 songs, everyone clapping to the beat. After that we have the opening chorus and everyone is singing along. I try my best at it stumbling through the first two verses but I get the hang of the melody and really get into on the third verse. Then there's like 5 minutes of talking before we move onto a hymn, well actually three. The hymn book has the notes written down and I can sort of sight read so I get the hang of it pretty quickly and go figure, one of the hymns is hymn number 420.

One of the members of the church, Bon is graduating this year so they honor him with a little speech, a bible, and a slideshow of his life. After which they make an announcement about a reception for Bon after mass. They also announce movie night is on friday , the movie, God's Not Dead, and also on a sadder note one of there members died in a terrible car accident that very day, clipped by another car and sent tumbling. They say he died instantly, I pray that he did, God bless his soul, be happy in heaven.

After the announcements it was story time. The story is in the pamphlet. I think the moral of the story is sure it's good to give out scraps to those who need it but if you love them you should want them to have the best.

Next it's time for us to make our offerings. I only have a pocket full of change. The man with the basket comes to me and waits patiently as I struggle to pull the money out of my pocket. I think to start counting out a dollar but before I even begin I change my mind and just grab a handful of about half of what is there, I figure let God have what he wants there.

We all pray and sing a few more times before the mass ends. After which the couple in front of me invited me to join them at the reception. During the mass the little girl and I were making faces at each other so she was excited to sit next to me she called me her friend and it was very sweet. I find out her name is Carrie, not sure on the spelling. I grab some pasta and salad and dig in. Im still hungry after that so i make myself a chicken burrito, ooh so good. While eating a few more people introduce themselves and offer blessings. Right now I can only remember Evelyn's name but there was the guitarist and his dad and another man probably only a little older than me.

After eating, Carrie and I play with her horse and unicorn dolls.

Carrie has to leave even though she doesn't want to, she wants to stay with her new friend, awww. So I get to talking with the man across from me who I find out is Bo and I believe Bon's older brother. He's curious about me and I tell him a bit about my life before we have to cut it short so that i can play Joan a song before she leaves.

I play her Eye Cannot See and she really enjoys it then she asks me to play amazing grace and after I stumble through it a few times trying to remember the chord pattern we both sing the song. Joan took a solo on the second verse because I don't know it and she's got a beautiful voice. She shared a song with me. The Key of G is good for me ... it's not too high and not too low and goes good with every song I know. I probably butchered it there, but I tried.

After Joan leaves I join the rest of the crowd as they look at pictures. There's this guy with a nose ring and plugs in his ear lobes, i introduce myself to him. His name is Charlie, and we get to talking. I tell him a bit of my story and also about the homeless discrimination problem in Hollywood.

Finally the crowd disperses and we all say our goodbyes. I grab a doggy bag before heading out. That reminds me I forgot to grab some more cake. That cake was good too with cream cheese icing, I love cream cheese icing.

Had a few beers at Thirsty's. Made a new friend named Sue. She's been telling me all about her family, kids, Grand kids and great grand kids. She's a real firecracker