{"id":754,"date":"2014-04-18T16:35:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-18T16:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2014\/04\/of-football-maps-mourning-mom-and-foot-washing.html"},"modified":"2014-04-18T16:35:00","modified_gmt":"2014-04-18T16:35:00","slug":"of-football-maps-mourning-mom-and-foot-washing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/rhetoricraceandreligion\/2014\/04\/of-football-maps-mourning-mom-and-foot-washing.html","title":{"rendered":"Of Football, Maps, Mourning, Mom, and Foot Washing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
by Peter Gathje<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n
Re Contributor<\/span><\/div>\n

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Robert saw me bending over to pick up a discarded coffee cup at Manna House this morning.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cNot so easy getting down low anymore is it?\u201d he asked.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cSome days are better than others.\u00a0\u00a0But on all days I\u2019m not nearly as flexible as I used to be.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cMe neither.\u00a0\u00a0I was in the hospital most of yesterday with back spasms.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cSorry to hear that Robert.\u00a0\u00a0That\u2019s painful.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cYears of cement work on top of high school football.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019m paying the price.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cWhere did you play?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cOrange Mound, Melrose.\u00a0\u00a0I was a halfback.\u00a0\u00a0Fast and strong.\u00a0\u00a0They could count on me.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
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John likes maps.\u00a0\u00a0He always carries a few with him.\u00a0\u00a0He likes to peruse them while he drinks his coffee at Manna House.\u00a0\u00a0He had heard that I was up in Minnesota this past weekend, so he was curious about where in Minnesota I had been.\u00a0\u00a0When I told him \u201cRochester,\u201d he wanted to know which county.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cOlmsted.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0Then the conversation really took off.<\/span><\/div>\n

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\u201cIs that in the southeastern corner of Minnesota?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cYes, about an hour or so southeast of the Twin Cities.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cNot far from Iowa?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cAbout an hour or so.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cYou know those northern counties of Iowa?\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cNot really.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cWinnebago.\u00a0\u00a0Worth. Mitchell. Howard. Winneshiek.\u00a0\u00a0Allamahee.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cI really don\u2019t know those counties, John.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
\u201cI study maps.\u00a0\u00a0I just like knowing where things are.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
When I got home, I checked up on the list (which I had written down).\u00a0\u00a0Sure enough, those counties go right across northern Iowa.<\/span><\/div>\n
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We started the day with sad news.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cDusty\u201d also known as \u201cCharles\u201d has died.\u00a0Dusty was a regular guest at Manna House for many years.\u00a0\u00a0When he first started coming he was on crutches.\u00a0\u00a0He only had one leg.\u00a0\u00a0He went everywhere on those crutches, and he went through lots of those rubber tips at the bottom of the crutches.\u00a0\u00a0We\u2019d buy them and just keep on replacing the tips.\u00a0\u00a0June Averyt started working with him and tried to get him into housing.\u00a0\u00a0He\u2019d been on the streets so long he didn\u2019t feel comfortable inside.\u00a0\u00a0So, she agreed that he could stay in a tent in the backyard of where she had housed other folks.\u00a0\u00a0Dusty eventually lost his other leg and so he got around on a motorized wheelchair.\u00a0\u00a0This happened about the same time that he was able to get himself to move into a place to live.\u00a0\u00a0He was still a regular in the neighborhood.\u00a0\u00a0He was well liked.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Along with our guests we took news of his death hard.<\/span><\/div>\n
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Another guest had additional mourning today.\u00a0\u00a0He mother died yesterday of cancer.\u00a0He\u2019s now an orphan.\u00a0\u00a0One of thirteen children, Keith is more or less in the middle he said.\u00a0\u00a0Nine are still alive.\u00a0\u00a0The funeral is\u00a0tomorrow<\/span><\/span>, and\u00a0Saturday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0morning she will be laid to rest.\u00a0\u00a0\u201cI have to stay strong for the rest of t
\nhe family.\u00a0\u00a0They\u2019re taking it pretty hard.\u00a0\u00a0I knew it was coming.\u00a0\u00a0I\u2019ve been going to see her in the hospital and so I\u2019m at peace.\u201d<\/span><\/div>\n
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Every third\u00a0Thursday<\/span><\/span>, Camille and Ashley head up the Foot Washing and Foot Clinic at Manna House.<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0Guests sign up in advance for this evening, which includes a meal.\u00a0\u00a0Tonight\u2019s Foot Washing and Clinic happened to fall on Holy\u00a0Thursday<\/span><\/span>\u00a0when many Christian churches commemorate the Last Supper, including in John\u2019s Gospel, where Jesus washes the feet of his disciples, telling them, \u201cSo if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another\u2019s feet.\u00a0\u00a0For I have set an example for you, that you should do as I have done to you\u201d (John 13:14-14).<\/span><\/div>\n

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Eight guests had their feet washed by four volunteers, enjoyed a meal prepared and served by two more volunteers, then saw a foot doctor, and in turn were fitted with gently used shoes courtesy of Fleet Feet.\u00a0\u00a0It was a good liturgy.<\/span><\/div>\n

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Follow Peter on Twitter @petegath<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Peter Gathje Re Contributor Robert saw me bending over to pick up a discarded coffee cup at Manna House this morning. \u201cNot so easy getting down low anymore is it?\u201d he asked. \u201cSome days are better than others.\u00a0\u00a0But on all days I\u2019m not nearly as flexible as I used to be.\u201d \u201cMe neither.\u00a0\u00a0I was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-754","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nOf Football, Maps, Mourning, Mom, and Foot Washing<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"by Peter GathjeRe ContributorRobert saw me bending over to pick up a discarded coffee cup at Manna House this morning.\u201cNot so easy getting down low\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, 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