We are getting to the heart of this story where in hindsight I can look back and see that the decision to stay in Nashville one more day allowed for a life-changing opportunity for me and a new friend.

I walked a short mile to a Taco Bell and had a modest lunch while reflecting on the truths that were revealed to me that very morning. The heat in Nashville was welcomed and felt like a warm hug as I walked out of the air-conditioned restaurant to my hotel. I debated sitting by the pool or taking a nap. I was feeling antsy to get downtown and sightsee in one of my favorite neighborhoods in Nashville called 12 South I had discovered on my last trip where I knew that Reese Witherspoons’s flagship retail store, Draper James resided. I am a sucker for all things Reese Witherspoon so I decided to take a shower, freshen up and make my way to 12 South. After arriving in the quaint little neighborhood I walked down to a lush park and just took in the beauty of the scenery. The landscape was so picturesque I could hardly stand it. The tall oak trees lined the park and offered a shady canopy for anyone who entered. A sweet couple was picnicking on the grass as I walked towards a bridge that overlooked the scenery across from the beautiful, colonial-style homes that lined the main street. I stood there and just took it in, grateful for this time alone. 

After stopping for an iced coffee I began to explore the many retail stores along the path, stopping in at each one reminding me what a boujie neighborhood it was but hoping to take home something home to remind me of Nashville. I have always loved fashion and enjoy finding items that speak to the recent trends or a unique item that no one else has. I entered store after store selectively picking up dresses and tops to try on when soon I stumbled upon a few stores that fit my style. I found a beautiful jumpsuit at Draper James that I wanted to wear right out of the store.

As the afternoon sun began to get more intense I headed towards the north end of the block remembering there was a restaurant I wanted to try for dinner later that evening. I saw a fruit stand and bought a delicious Georgia peach when I came upon a gentleman sitting on a street corner bench. He was sitting in the sun with a large backpack next to him wearing a bright orange shirt and a veteran camo hat. Here I was in my black sun dress, espadrilles wedges, toting a Kate Spade purse and two shopping bags from my recent finds when I felt this nudge to talk to him. I stopped in front of him and said, “Hi.” He smiled up at me and began to engage in conversation about a rude passerby who had called him lazy. He went on to share that he was not homeless but had recently suffered a heat stroke which made him miss a few days of work.

I found myself sitting down next to him and conversing for about 30 minutes on the recent tragedies that Nashville had suffered from the Tornado in 2020 and of course the ramifications of the pandemic and discovering his name was Kevin. The question that pastor Brooke had posed to all of us at the conference the day before came to mind and I asked my new friend, Kevin,

“What can I do for you?”

Initially, I had been ready to give him the quarters in my coin purse and be on my way but here I was sitting next to him with my Draper James bag feeling that there was more here at this moment.

I then asked a more pointed question,” What do you need to get to Monday?” He blinked at me a bit and said, “Well, I need $85 to cover my rent Monday morning.” I thought to myself that I did not have any cash on me and so I was a little unsure what to do next. I prayed a prayer of discernment over the situation. At that moment a gal walked by and smiled at him and he smiled back saying to me, “She works at the bar down the street and fills my water bottle up when I’m down here.” A crazier thought came to mind and I asked him what he needed to get to the end of the month? He looked at me and laughed then said, “Oh man, I would have to look at a calendar!” We looked at the calendar of how many Fridays were left in June and did the math of how much his rent cost per night and came to the number of $385. I asked him if I could take a selfie with him so I could reach out to my friends and family and see if they would help me cover his rent. We took a selfie and I sent a quick text to family and friends hoping to convey to some degree the situation and receive some help via Venmo. All I could do at that moment was wait for people to respond. 

The sun was pretty intense so I encouraged the idea that we should go get Kevin water and a snack. He led me down the path towards the bar Bottle Taps where we saw the waitress that had passed by earlier. As we walked and talked I noticed he didn’t smell of alcohol or tobacco, he had decent work boots on and his clothes were worn but clean. When we arrived at the bar the waitress took his bottle and filled it up with water as I ordered a coke and fries for my new friend to snack on. The waitress seemed to size me up as she attended to the task at hand then winked at me, and said, “He’s the sweetest.” I smiled back and signed the receipt then turned and told him I was going to go shop around a bit more and come back to find him when I heard from my friends and family. We parted ways and I began to head up the street in a bit of a fog. I wandered into an area that I could not afford and began to feel a bit disoriented. The questions swirled in my head, how would I come through for this person, was this a bad idea, and will anyone respond to my text message? I began to receive concerned messages from my husband and pastor friends. My mother-in-law honestly asked if my phone was hi-jacked and if this was really “Kelly?”

A surge of embarrassment flooded over me when I realized that I probably looked like a fool asking people for money in such a spontaneous fashion.

I called my mother-in-law to calm her fears about my safety and began to cry from complete and utter exhaustion wrapped in embarrassment. She let me explain where this request came from and heard my heart assuring me that if this was the right thing to do God would show me what to do. She picked up on my excitement and shared that she would electronically send me $100 immediately and encouraged me to have faith in my family and friends. I debated walking all of my newly purchased items back to the stores to return them for a refund but after speaking with her I felt that I just needed to be patient and trust that this was what God was prodding me to do and patiently follow through. I wiped my tears and walked back to Kevin telling him I would be back shortly. I wanted to ensure he would be in the same location when I returned and he assured me he would be there until 6:30 pm since most of the shops closed at 6:00 in 12 South. I called an Uber and headed to the closest Walgreens. 

Upon arriving I found the aisle that had the various gift cards and grabbed a Visa Card that would allow me to put $385 on it. When the cashier ran my credit card it was declined. At that moment I realized how absurd this must look and quickly called my husband to see if he got a notification from our credit card company. When Jon answered there was a legitimate concern in his voice as he asked, “Kel, what are you doing?” I was grateful for his concern and the opportunity to assess what I was doing and I assured him that I wasn’t crazy and I believed that this is what God was laying on my heart for this gentleman. I told him, “If the card is declined when we run it a second time I will walk away from this situation and consider that a sign that this is not to happen.” He instructed me to try again and it went through. I was so excited! I got back into an Uber and made the 8-minute drive journey back to 12 South where Kevin was now sitting in the shade. It was almost 6 pm and it had been over 3 hours since I had first encountered him.

I climbed out of the vehicle and sat with him on the stoop in front of a neighborhood church. I pulled the card out of my bag and told him that I was confident my family and friends would come through and that I wanted to help him get through June, and give him some breathing room. He was so elated and couldn’t believe it. We video messaged in a family thread to say “thank you” to my sisters and mother-in-law who had given to his cause. I sat there for another 30 minutes and we talked about his daughters and how he hoped to see them at Christmas this year. He asked me about my church where I lead worship and if he could ever watch online to which I gave him my business card. After a few more minutes of small talk, we said our goodbyes, I gave him a big squeeze and headed towards the restaurant “Bar Taco” to put my name in for dinner and to charge my phone. As I sat down for dinner in one of my favorite Nashville eateries, I immediately called Jon to tell him how the events concluded while my body was still buzzing from the events of the day.

Please join me tomorrow for the conclusion of Nashville.

Thank you for reading this story. If you missed part 2 you can head over there first https://lifeonthebackburner.wordpress.com/2022/07/04/nashville-part-2-revelation/

Part 1 https://lifeonthebackburner.wordpress.com/