The God Wink Trifecta

My friend Greg Seeger calls them “God winks.” Little pushes of direction and reflection to ensure that you are where you should in your life. Greg is a Pastor, so he knows a thing or two about scripture and thought evoking messages.

FTNNE had an event over this past weekend, and distribution of sandwiches or other products usually takes no more than 48 hours. In this case, I had a leftover bag of 35 PBJ sandwiches. While they were perfectly fine, my car smelled like a Reese’s factory. (Not an unusual occurrence) To add to this small annoyance of forgetfulness, I had an extra early start with my traditional job where my task was to greet people and show them in for an awards breakfast. Simple enough, and I love my job so PBJ delivery would have to wait.

As I welcomed guests, I noticed several locals, some dressed lightly for the chilly morning, or disheveled, making their way to the Immaculate Conception Church rectory. There, I discovered, was where the Brian O’Connell Homeless Project was hosting its daily outreach breakfast. Ironically, several years ago we met Donna to learn more about their ministry and had always wanted to help…somehow. God Wink #1.

Later that morning, I spotted a few others tapping on the rectory door, hoping the outreach was still open. It had closed. I offered to help, and all they wanted was breakfast. Thankfully, I knew someone who had forgotten to deliver sandwiches: me. Those sandwiches became their breakfast—God Wink #2—and I delivered the rest to a local shelter.

Fast-forward to this weekend as we prepare for our 2nd Annual Noon Year’s Eve Jam. We still need a sponsor for our “to-go” kits: emergency lunches with notes attached, designed to offer quick help to someone in need, whether at a highway exit or during a brief encounter. Cost remains a challenge, and distributing several hundred bags requires coordination with local agencies. Enter the “Brian Bag”—God Wink #3. This emergency outreach bag is much like our “to-go” kit, offering a potential new outreach partnership and completing what feels like a God Wink Trifecta.

I miss collaborating with my friend Greg daily, but it is good to know his wisdom lives on.

If you would like to support Feed the Need Northeast and our Noon Year’s Eve event, we would love to hear from you: https://www.feedtheneedne.org/

If you would like to know more about The Brian O’Connell Homeless Project, click here  https://www.brianoc.org/