Jack be nimble

Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, pedal across the country on your riding stick.  Usually Kadizzle is the one who brings home stragglers, but Mrs Kadizzle announced when she came in the door that she had a straggler coming.  For years the Kadizzles have always picked up wayside travelers.  People doing the Lewis and Clark trail by bicycle often come through the little town of Hazen.  When you see someone pedelaning cross country you know two things, they need a shower, and a place to sleep.  You start a conversation and invite them over to stay the night.  After her encounter Jack, 76 years old pedaled into our driveway.  This was not Jack's first rodeo.  Jack had pedaled across country several times.

On the lake Kadizzle has often had the same experience with those making the Lewis and Clark journey by kayak or small boat.  Years ago Kadizzle met David Miller.  Dave was making the cross country jaunt doing research on Lewis and Clark by kayak.  Dave mentioned Kadizzle in the book he wrote about the trip.  Now, when Kadizzle picks up someone on the lake the conversation goes like this.  My name is Mike Quinn.  Are you the Mike Quinn in the book? Yes.  Every person coming down the Missouri by small boat somehow finds Dave's book.  It has become the manual for navigating the river.

Last night we sat in the living room and listened to Jack play his Indian flute.  If Kadizzle gets motivated he will post a short video on this site later.  It is 5:43 A. M. and the mind is just not ready for that task now.  So check back later.

Why not take care of strangers?  We live in a world swamped with Christians.  The Christian ethic is to help the stranger, but strangely the Christians seem to be the last to be of any real help.  A couple of these bike riders stayed with us a year or two ago.  From Hazen the went to Washburn.  At Washburn somehow they made arrangements to stay in the church basement.  This man and woman were supposedly doing missionary work as they biked across the country.  Interviewing them in Washburn after they spent the night Kadizzle asked where they slept.  On the basement cement floor of the church. Did the pastor give them dinner?  Nope.  Now of all people you would think the pastor would offer them a few accommodations, but hell no they were just a nuisance.  Many times Kadizzle has discussed the road orphans we take in with someone.  Often their reaction is " I would be afraid to do that".   Afraid of what?   How many people miss so much because they have unfounded fears?  We have probably taken in from ten to fifteen travelers passing through.  None of them robbed us, killed us or abused us in any way.  We were enriched by their stories and friendship.  We met real people.  We did not read about people in a book.  We did not read about other people's adventures we got to hear their book from their mouth.  So many people are poor because they chose to be poor.  They are poor in the experiences of life, because they are afraid to live.