Just to set the record straight, most of the religious people I've met on this trip are totally normal and respectful people, not like the couple of pushy, preachy ones I've mentioned on this blog over the last week or so. Their interactions with me are generally run-of-the-mill: a quick "God bless you" or "I'll pray for you tonight", both sentiments I'm happy to hear. And occasionally something more meaningful happens.
I met a couple of guys, Randy and Curt, in a little park by the river in Warren yesterday. They meet regularly to just sit and think and talk about God and the world. They told me a little about their faith and asked if they could say a prayer for me. I said "Sure!" Randy took my hand, Curt placed his hand on my shoulder, we bowed our heads, and Randy came up with a prayer for me, right on the spot. It was a really wonderful moment.
Later in the day they tracked me down on the web and sent me an email, which included a line that's really stuck with me. On contemplating my walk: "We thought what a great way to go about life and remove yourself from the main stream."
I love how these guys make time to share their experiences and work through them together and just think together. Religious or not, the world could use a lot more of their kind of thoughtfulness.
To give you a little more detail about last night, the guy who agreed to let me stay on his property pointed me way down to the far end of a field, right next to his neighbors' house. I guess he figured if I'm a serial killer, at least I'll kill them first. How neighborly of him.
I briefly met Bob (pictured), one of those neighbors, last night. He told me to give him a holler if I needed anything. He then came down to check on me this morning, and asked "You want me to fix you on up some eggs?" That's an offer I'll never turn down, so I went inside and met his wife Diane (who didn't want to be in the picture even though she had on awesome giant duck slippers) and their two dogs, and Bob fixed me on up not just some eggs, but an entire breakfast, including dessert (a jelly doughnut)!