Go West Young Man!

December 19, thirty years ago found Tim and me driving cross the state of Kansas in the wee hours of the morning. We had left Valley City five days earlier to take a load of Arabian horses to Walnut Valley, California from the Medina Fairgrounds after a training clinic.

Murrel Lacey, noted Arabian horse trainer from Northern California come to Ohio at the request of the Ohio Arabian Horse Association to put on a training clinic, and in addition there was a sale of Arabian horses. Prices were very cheap, and Murrel purchased a half dozen horses to send back to his ranch to be trained and then sold. Tim and I were in the "Horse Business" at the time, including breeding on a small scale, selling horses, selling horse trailers, and transporting horses. So we loaded up the "herd" and headed west.

The trip was relatively uneventful albeit long and on the return trip we had to cross the cold, flat, windy and desolate state of Kansas. "Wind whipping 'cross the plains" in the song "Oklahoma" means nothing compared to snowy 20 degrees below Farenheit Kansas! We had a one ton dually crew cab pick up truck with a 42' long goose-neck slant stall six horse trailer. We were coming back empty (except for the few cases of Coors beer in the back).

Tim was driving and I was asleep on the back seat at about 5:30 a.m. when we pulled in to a truck stop for fuel. Tim came back out to the truck after paying for the gas and woke me up saying "there is a kid in there that needs a ride to Ohio". The truck stop manager spotted our Ohio license plates and asked if Tim could help this boy out. He said the boy had been there all day, and all night with no prospects of hitching a ride. In my half sleep I said " I don't care, just let me sleep"! Gracious as always!

Before I could roll over and cover back up, the passenger door of the truck opened and a disheveled, forlorn young man of about 22 got into the truck. I surveyed his looks: no hat, no gloves, jacket collar pulled up to try and cover his ears, and a large brown grocercy bag under his arm. He appeared shy and quiet sporting a 3 day growth on his chin. He didn't look too prosperous to say the least, nor did he turn to make eye contact with me. "If you are going to rob and kill us, do it fast because I need to get some sleep" said I. Scared him to death!

A couple of hours down the road Tim pulled in to another truck stop for breakfast. Told the young man to come in to the restaurant because it was too cold to stay in the truck. Well, Tim ordered coffee and breakfast, and when the waitress turned to the "boy" he said he wasn't hungry. "Nonsense" said Tim. "He'll have the He-Man special". (and he ate every bite.)

We came to find out that this boy had left home in Springfield, Ohio for greener pastures, and had gotten a job at the Mr. Coffee Plant in California, but the plant closed after he had been there for a couple of years, and he was hitchhiking home to see his Mom for Christmas. We traveled all day and as early dusk approached, we were nearing the Ohio/Indiana stateline. "Could I stop to call my sister to come out to the highway and pick me up?" he asked. "Sure son", said Tim and we pulled over again to let him get out and use the phone. He walked back to the truck just a few seconds later and asked "when did it start costing a quarter to use the phone?" He only had a dime. Needless to say, Tim reached into his jeans pocket.

When we reached the I-70 - Springfield exit, we pulled off the ramp and he got out and thanked us shyly and jumped into his sister's waiting car and they drove off.

Christmas that year was special for us with our young children. Santa and toys and lots of rich food. Sparkly and wondering eyes abounded throughout the week of Christmas. I was just settling down for "my long winter nap" on Christmas afternoon when the phone rang.

Answering, I heard a woman's tired voice say "Is this the Blacksmith and the Redhead's phone number"? "Yes ma'm it is, can I help you?" "Yes, I just wanted to say thank you for bringing my son home to me for Christmas" "Thank you so much" "I wish you a Merry Christmas" She shyly said goodbye.

As I placed the phone into it's cradle a warm glow came over me. What a wonderful gift we had just received.

Somewhere out there is a child waiting for the wonders of Christmas to unfold. And hopefully those wonders are unfolded for them by a loving mother.

Merry Christmas!

p.s. the brown bag contained all of this worldly possession, a collection of 33 rpm records!