My encounter with a homeless man

I was on my way to Georgia.
It was about dinner time and I figured I should just stop in Birmingham and get something to eat even though I was only two hours out. I'm sure, I thought, the Jones's will eat before I arrive.
So I pulled off at an exit that featured a Krystals (we dont have those in VA) and as I was waiting for the light at the end of the exit ramp, I noticed a man. He was a young man. Probably a little older than me. with a few bundles of belongings behind him and a cardboard sign. It read "Traveling. Need Anything." All I really had was a five dollar bill in my back pocket. The food in my car inventoried at 4 Chips Ahoy White Fudge Chunk Chocolate Chip Cookies (crunchy of course), a mostly eaten bag of Pita Chips, a few starbursts, a few Dove chocolates with caramel filling, and those awesome chocolate eggs that only come out for Easter time. Not a marvelous offering. "If only I had some real food," I thought. "Oh! I'm going to get dinner right now!!!"
The light turned green. I slowed as I past him and called out, "Hey, if you meet me at Krystals I'll buy you dinner."
I showed up at this fast food joint and informed the staff, who were very perplexed as to why I sat instead of ordered, that I was waiting for someone. I didn't see him coming over. So I checked my email and updated my facebook. Still he didn't come. So I prayed that if this man who God loved was hungry that he would come and let me serve him.
I ordered my food and ate and waited some more.
And I thought about this man. This man that God loved. Who was just trying to get somewhere. Who had a story. A reason why he was standing with a cardboard sign instead of driving like most people. A history. Dreams and hopes and fears and regrets. A man that God loved. And I loved him. And I wanted to sit with him at Krystals and ask him who he was and why he was here, where he had come from and where he was going.
But he didn't come.
I drove back to get on the interstate. And there he was standing with his sign. I guess he needed something more specific than anything. But I wish he would've had dinner with me. Because I loved him.
I fall in love with strangers often.
I was stood up by a homeless man.