Same Kind of Different as Me

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Susan O’Keefe holds a Communication/Health and Wellness degree from the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Teaching group fitness, advising the UCA Honeybears dance team, and instructing a broadcasting course at UCA keeps Susan on the move. She and h

It’s nine o’clock on a Monday morning, the last Monday of the month to be exact. A group of retired teachers gathers at a local bookstore to swap stories of grandchildren, rave about recipes, inquire of ailments, and fulfill the main reason for the meeting…to discuss the book of the month!
Lounging in overstuffed soft leather chairs with steaming lattes and teas nearby, the chatter changes from casual conversation to a more focused tone.
“What were your thoughts on the book?” asks the leader du jour.
Answers vary from descriptions of a fabulous read to observations that the writing being a bit forced or strained at times.
“I was truly moved to tears. What an inspiring friendship by an unlikely pair!” offers one reader.
“Do you really think an upscale art dealer and an illiterate homeless man could strike up a friendship and then continue such a relationship for years?” inquires another reader, seeming a bit skeptical of the authenticity of the relationship.
Believe it or not, authors Ron Hall and Denver Moore really don’t consider themselves authors. They seem to resist that title and find more comfort wearing the hat of farmer, grandpa, or even preacher. The pair is most comfortable in just telling the story of how the two of them, nearly polar opposites, came to befriend one another on the streets of Dallas. The 235-page paperback story is told from alternating viewpoints.
Denver shares his thoughts on everything from growing up on a sharecropper’s farm in Louisiana to renting out sleeping space in a friend’s car. He defines the homeless person’s sophisticated ruse called the “hamburger drop,” which is simply a scam with a free meal in mind. On the outside, Denver appears simple. Yet his complexities are evident when responding to a request from Ron to be his friend. Denver gave serious consideration to the offer.
Although he grew up in the lower part of the middle class, Ron quickly climbed corporate ladders and sought fancy cars and furs over coupons and discount stores. His wife, Deborah, however, held his Texas boots to the ground. Ron describes Deborah as the sanest person he ever knew, plus a woman with strong Christian convictions. It is Deborah’s revelation that God is orchestrating a friendship between her husband and the scowling guy at the shelter who sits alone and talks to no one. Thus, the real story unfolds and divine intervention is evident.
Tragedy appears in the forms of modern-day slavery, adultery, and widowhood. Responses to tragedy allow the readers to inch closer to the trio of main characters.
Just as Christ forgives, so does the offended one in this story. Just as Christ often prays alone at night, so does the ex-con near a dirty dumpster in Dallas. And just as Christ surrenders to His Father’s plan, so does the husband who continues telling his wife’s story.
From betrayal to reconciliation and hardship to high-life, the theme woven throughout this book is love. There is intimate love between a husband and wife who lose precious time looking elsewhere to fill a void caused only by greed. There is love for humanity in the seemingly simple task of feeding hungry brothers and sisters. And there is love for the Lord Jesus Christ, in acts of service, to those within their own home, as well as to those who have no home.
It is a story worth telling and, therefore, worth reading. Same Kind of Different as Me crafts a delicate case for the fact that we are certainly all a little different … but maybe in a similar kind of way!