twenty five miles

Yesterday as I was reading a magazine while waiting for the Internet to come back on, my nephew noticed a young man standing on the main highway just outside his house. This young man had a sleeping bag and backpack, a jacket and extra pair of shoes and he was in the middle of removing his jacket when I looked up. To me, it appeared that he was on a journey to somewhere and I encouraged my nephew to ask him in, to see if he needed to rest.

He introduced himself and said that rather than rest, he was just beginning a summer trip that would take him from my state of Minnesota to Seattle, Washington.
Walking.
All by himself.

I was amazed. He had already added seventeen miles to his morning start and was hoping to make it another fifty before the next day! I asked him if he'd like a ride to at least the point where he wanted to spend the night and he gratefully obliged. He said that actually if I did that, then he could make the other twenty five miles up himself and perhaps be a day ahead.

As I drove, he talked. He told me of his dreams and of his accomplishments, which were many, and of where he saw himself after college. His polite demeanor kept me focused on the road ahead as miles of nothing but flat farmland sped by the car's windows.

I dropped him off at the small town's only convenience store. He asked for my autograph and if he could take a "selfie" that included him and I. I smiled and agreed. As he exited my car, I offered him my blessings and a prayer that he would make it to his destination and back safely, then turned and made my way back to my own small town. As I drove, my mind pondered on the events that had just happened. It is said that when you entertain strangers, you may just be entertaining angels unawares. I also pondered that had he not stopped right in front of the window that I happened to be sitting in front of to take off his jacket, he would have gone unnoticed. I would have missed an opportunity to meet someone who, for an hour, made me realize that there are truly good people in this world that we need to reach out to. I feel all the more blessed for having that opportunity for those twenty five miles. To me, they were the most rewarding twenty five miles I have ever driven!