Have a great day. Hannah grade 9

     Often the simplest of words can be the most powerful. The words above had been carefully written by a girl named Hannah from Pennsylvania. Now, for those who may not understand, let me lay it all out for you. I spend most of my days out and about. I spend my days searching. I look for those who have wandered off the beaten path, and in one way or another have found their way to the absolute fringe of society. More times than not they feel abandoned, left behind, forgotten, and worst of all, alone. The believe that few care for them anymore, and the ones that do are only the ones they come into direct contact with.
     This is the lie that they have been told, and it is my mission to disprove that lie. The other day, Hannah, grade 9 also helped me disprove this lie.
     I was walking along the river, searching for a friend of mine who recently had to move his campsite, he's a loner, his name is Robert.. He has been out on the street for 14 years, most of his time is spent camping, he has gotten up in years and he does not like the 'drama' of the shelters. As he has gotten older he has gotten more elusive, he stays away from pretty much everyone other than a very select few who he has known for years on end as fellow 'brothers'. A while ago I had stumbled across him as he fished along the riverbank. We exchanged niceties, and as I introduced myself, he started laughing, 'so you're the guy', from the look on my face he laughed even harder, I guess he could tell that I was trying to figure out who 'that guy' was. 'Preacher', the guy who loves all us old bums.' He then told me that my name had traveled up and down the river quite aways, and that he 'half expected when he met me that i would be walkin' on water or some crap like that.' To which I started laughing, I thanked him for the mental image, but that I would probably not be able to walk on water unless there was a floating dock in place or some well placed stones. His reply, 'now don't say that, through God all things are possible.'
    His faith has been a blessing to me, to see where he lives, and how he lives, an honor, and to be able to shoot the breeze and be called his 'brother' a downright priviledge. He can and has been known to be quite a handful in his time, but I take all of that with a grain of salt. He is half ojibwe and half english/scotch, his eyes have the knowlegde of so much just swirling around in them, through his John Lennon style bifocals it gives him a scientist or psychologist look, and the salt and pepper in his hair make him look very regal. He always has such deep insight into things, and reminds me of what it must have been like to talk to one of the great thinkers of past times, rhetorical abstract questions where you feel your soul deepens just to hear the words. It is an honor and a priviledge to call him my brother and to be called his.
   Either or, as we caught up he made us some tea with a coleman stove, as the tea began to steep I reached into my coat. I had placed some bags in my pockets. A group called the Mitzvah Circle in Pennsylvania had a group of kids, and that group of kids had made up snack packs, those snack packs contained a note from each person who had bagged these gifts with care. I took one of them out and handed it to him. In Bob being a true ojibwe he quickly picked a worry stone out of his pocket and 'traded' it to me so that it would be a fair trade. I thanked him and he thanked me. He quickly started eating the contents. The things that we take for granted through the day are often the most cherised and sought after things in other places. As he sucked on the straw for the juicebox I stifled a grin, for that moment I saw Bob as a child, his deep brown eyes wide to the point of expanding beyond his glasses sipping that sweet nectar of fruit juice. He asked me why the giggle, and I told him why, to which he started to laugh, I love Bob's laugh, he has that infectous belly roll that once started will just get the room going. So we laughed and as we did that, he picked through the bag, that's when it happened. He came upon a piece of paper, it was a small white sheet, and in very nice handwriting it said simply, 'Have a great day. Hannah grade 9' It had gotten kinda wrinkled from being packed in that bag, 'so, who's this?' Bob asked me. My reply, 'Someone who cares from Pennsylvania.' 'Pennsylvania?!?!' Bob replied. To which I replied, 'Yep'. He sat there in silence for a few moments, I was a little distracted by a tug boat, and when I turned back, he had buried his head in his hands and was running his fingers through his hair. I was alarmed, 'You ok Bob?', I blurted. His response was quick and concise, 'How do you do this?! Why do you do this?!' His eyes were full of tears, his voice strained, 'Do you realize that no one, NO ONE, does stuff like this anymore.' My reply, 'wrong Bob, most people don't do it anymore, but looks like Hannah wants to make a difference.' To which Bob replied, 'Shaddup Preacher.' 'I know Bob, I love you Bob, and God does too.' I replied as I rose to leave. 'Ok brother, back atcha on both points,' Bob replied, 'will ya make sure you thank Hannah for me and let her know that she warmed an old man's heart today?' I turned to reply, and as I did I saw bob take the note and place it between two rags, then lay it on one of the flat stones near the fire and use the semi-rounded bottom to iron flat the slighlty wrinkled piece of paper. As he was finished he carefully placed it in his bible and in his backpack to be held safe in his 'memory bank'. 'Of course I will Bob.' I replied.  For the moment again I got to see Bob eyes wide give me a smile and a wave. 'Love you lil brother, I may not say it much but I do,' he replied. Bob doesn't say it much at all, that is only the third or fourth time he's said it to me in a year. I could hear Bob whistling a happy tune almost all the way back to West 7th street.
   So, thank you Hannah grade 9 for not only warming a man named Bob's heart, but for spreading the love. I love each and every one of you and God does too. LLLAKYFOTPA XD