As I grow older, it has become very apparent to me that it isn’t wise or even remotely possible to try to understand how God works in our lives. It’s just best to have faith and go with the flow, so to speak. That’s easy to say, of course, but when things get tough it isn’t as easy to do. In fact, where He takes us can be a long way from where we began.

In the Summer of 2018 my wife, Luann, felt the calling to join a service oriented ministry at our church.  Here, she would participate in this ministry that had been in existence in the U.S. for over 150 years with its simple goal of serving the needy. She had a particular interest in one aspect of the ministry; that which helped to feed the poor, while also providing spiritual comfort to those in need.

After about a year, she was inspired to suggest a new sub-ministry which would render assistance to a particular group of our neighbors. The idea was to provide, on a once per month basis, items like, sandwiches, pantry goods, toiletry articles, canned goods, microwavable meals along with clothes washing detergent and other household items to full-time residents of three area motels. Providing these necessary items would, of course, help defray the costs of everyday living for these residents. This process would encompass a lot of time and dedication but Luann and her group were more than happy to make the sacrifice.

The program “kicked off” on September 28th, only about 3 months after the idea was conceived. Each of the three motels would be serviced by about 8 volunteers.  After praying together, the next thing to do was to set-up tables, lay out the different items and encourage the residents to participate. As the items were chosen, the volunteers asked if any of the residents had prayer requests or wished to pray together. They showed great appreciation of the kindness they received and many took advantage of the opportunity to pray with a nonjudgmental group who openly displayed their charitable hearts. And so it was, the new ministry was off and running.

Interacting with the residents was a real blessing. They were of different age, racial and ethnic groups. I’m sure all had a story to tell as to how life got them to this point, which was admittedly difficult, but we detected no animosity or ill will toward society. They just were living their lives as best they could. Some shared that they had full-time jobs but were barely able to squeak by on what they earned. It seems that our booming economy hasn’t boomed for everyone. However, in every case it was obvious to us that these were indeed God’s children who in many cases caught a bad break or two and were now struggling to get back on their feet.

And then there was Michael Grossman.

On our initial September visit, Michael emerged from his room and displayed a most dignified, friendly and engaging demeanor. Obviously a highly educated man, he was extremely thankful for the few items he chose, on several occasions explaining that he didn’t want to take “too much” considering the needs of his neighbors. Of course, that wasn’t an issue and I had to practically force him to partake of the many items that could be of good use to him. After, he went through the line, we asked if he would like to pray with us and he was most anxious to do so. As we prayed the Lord’s Prayer, with several other residents, Michael joined in. On a subsequent visit, he shared that he was Jewish, which made the fact that he prayed the prayer that every Christian knows and loves even more interesting. However, that act was just another indication of Michael's tender soul and spiritual nature.

On the October visit, Michael brought something to show us. It was a wonderful portrait of the Wizard of Oz characters. That was when we found out that he was a talented portrait artist. Our entire group marveled at the quality and the detail of his work. It wouldn’t have surprised me if the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion jumped off of the canvas and started singing “We’re off to see the Wizard”. Another thing happened on that visit. Luann is very dedicated to Mary, Our Blessed Mother. In fact, one of Mary’s titles, is Mary Undoer of Knots, whose feast day is September 28th, the same day as the new ministry’s “kickoff date” mentioned earlier. We believe that Mary, being the mother of Jesus, is a wonderful intercessor. Our lives are full of problems or “Knots”. Praying to Mary can help get them untied and those problems will go away. Luann had always wanted a portrait of Mary as the Undoer of Knots. It seems like God sent Mike our way to get this done. We approached Mike with the idea and we commissioned him to do the work. He was delighted to do so, admitting that he felt the “Spirit and God’s touch”. The portrait now has a place in our home.

But it seems that God had more plans for Michael and our family and our interaction would be born from a tragedy. Just after our October visit, our son and his wife happily announced that child number three was on the way. Unfortunately, the baby was not to be born as my daughter-in-law miscarried after several months. Being true and devout Catholics, they had a proper service and burial of the baby in a sanctified Catholic cemetery near their home. Not knowing the sex of the child, the baby was simply named “Innocent”. Both sides of the family are pro-life and the burial of the child was a natural outgrowth of our beliefs. The parents took the loss very hard as did their two young children who now had to try to understand what had happened.

Several weeks went by and life went on. As my son’s family coped with their disappointment and grief, we had the idea of using Michael’s gift as a way to bring some kind of closure, especially to the kids. Without telling my son and his wife, Luann and I explained the situation to Michael and asked him to do a portrait of Jesus, holding a little baby. The hope was that when our grandchildren saw the painting, they would have an actual baby to envision as their heavenly brother or sister. The portrait would be named “Innocent”. It was important for Michael to show the baby in the loving arms of our Lord and for the baby to not be identified as a boy or a girl….just a beautiful baby. We left the task in Michael’s hands and put our faith in his God given gift.

The artist completed his task within a week. He shared that he worked through the night twice, while at all times feeling God’s touch and genuinely blessed that he could somehow help to put an end to the grief.

We stopped over our kid’s house a week or so ago. We usually bring dessert or some toys for our grandchildren when we arrive. This time was different. We presented the family with Michael’s wonderful portrait, “Innocent”. While the adults all cried, the little ones smiled. And, while everyone understood that a painting could never replace a beautiful baby, perhaps this one would be a reminder of the precious child who took an early trip to paradise.

With a charitable heart, Luann joined the ministry to “Serve the needy.” Now Michael, one of those she served, returned the favor by using his gift to help heal a few broken hearts.

Charles Sacchetti is the author of two books, It’s All Good: Times and Events I’d Never Want to Change and his new book, Knowing He’s There: True Stories of God’s Subtle Yet Unmistakable Touch.   Both are available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other online outlets. Contact him at [email protected]