"Peggy Ann Renfro are you CRAZY?" That was it, the message in full. But I kept on walking because more than anything else on that hot and humid summer morning, I wanted to make it to the state line of Kansas with the man who has become a friend to both Mike and I since we met him for the first time, 3 weeks back as he walked along the roadway near our home in Montrose, Colorado. And just for the record, I did.
A lot has happened in the nearly 1 month's time since we first saw this young man walking along pushing a cart in front of him on the road up by Morrow Point as we were heading back to Kansas for the weekend. The garden finally started to grow and a few deer made sporadic appearances in the alfalfa field across the roadway from our house. We had two garage sales and cleaned out all of our storage units in both Colorado and Kansas. I signed my teaching contract for next year at Olathe Elementary and just this past weekend signed a lease agreement with a nice couple from Hutchinson who are now going to rent my house back there for the next 12 months' period of time. And oh yes. Norman walked. He took out on foot from the Montrose area, crossed the great Continental Divide at Monarch Pass, meandered through the canyon lands to come out on the other side at Canon City and just yesterday was able to cross over the state line of Kansas. I'm not even going to try and figure how many miles just that leg of the journey was for him. Let's just call it 10,000 ok? Because even though that number is a little on the high side, I'm sure that at times it probably has felt like it to him.
Meeting up with Norman has solidified the idea that I always knew all along, that people are brought together in this life for a reason, not because of the random and chaotic order of the universe. Rather, it's all a part of a much greater plan that any of us normal and ordinary people could ever devise on our own. Had Mike not known we should be looking for Norman that first evening we encountered him, we might have just missed out all together. Yet we found him, introduced ourselves to him, and became friends, all in the short span of 5 or 10 minutes. Strangers NO more. I like that.
I have spoken of Norm several times in my past few blog posts and I decided that if we should come across him along the way back to Colorado yesterday from Kansas, that I would like to get out and walk a mile with him on the highway. He was most happy to have someone join him and between Mike and I, we took turns as we went all the way from Holly, Colorado to the Kansas border. It was a distance of a little over 4 miles but we made it without too many issues.
Yesterday Mike and I only got a slight taste of what it is like for Norm Horn every single day that he has been out there, now since early April. I'm going to tell you that it wouldn't be something that I could do, this walking across America thing but Norman can and does. It takes a lot of determination and spirit to make it all the way and those two things are ones that Norm has plenty of. As I walked with him yesterday, we spoke of many things and I'm grateful that I was able to continue to talk as we walked in that humid and hot Kansas air. I listened to his every word and as I did, I could feel the sweat just dripping off of my face and neck. By the time I had finished up to the first mile corner, Mike and I switched places and he would walk alongside Norm for the next mile. It did my heart good to see those two men moving down the road, one step at a time, having a great conversation about life.
Mike Renfro and Norman Horn, two men who used to be strangers and now have become friends as they were on the road yesterday walking together just two miles west of the Colorado and Kansas lines. It all started with Mike watching the interview done on a Grand Junction TV station of Norman and his mission to spread awareness about pediatric cancer. A month or so later on down the road, Mike was able to join him for at least a few steps of his walk.
The last 1 1/2 miles were mine to walk with Norm and I'm thankful that if I did any of them with him yesterday that I did the ones that would take him to the border and that we might be with him as he crossed over into my home state of Kansas. Mike knew that it would mean a lot to me to able to do this with Norm, so he drove his car down to the end of the path leading out of Colorado and waited for us to arrive. I was glad that I'd had a moment to rest while Mike walked and when it came my time to finish, Gatorade in hand I joined Norm for the last steps of the journey. We talked and talked and in so doing, the time seemed to fly by us. It was hot and humid but somehow at that point in time, I really didn't notice it all that much any way!
Still a little ways to go but we would soon make it to the sign that says "Welcome to Kansas"!
Well it turned out that we made it to the sign, crossing over the border without any mishaps along the way. Sure it was hot but we were in Kansas on an early July day for heaven's sake! I told Norm "Welcome to my state!" and we stood below the sign that I see each and every time I make the journey back and forth between Hutchinson and Montrose. A sign that means even more to me since I have been gone.
The walking team of Renfro and Horn~
We made it to the "finish line", well it was the finish line for me. Norm has at least a couple more miles to go until he makes it to the east coast come this October.
For the next 3 weeks or so, Norm will be making his way through the Sunflower state and meeting all kinds of new people. I just have a feeling, a really strong one, that Norm is going to encounter so many good folks who will help him along his way. Kansans are just like that, good people who will go out of their way to help a stranger who, in the end, will end up becoming their very good friend. Thank you friends and family for helping to watch out for him, for checking on him and making sure that he is well. Many of you have already volunteered to provide him a place to rest for the night, food for his belly, and drink for his thirst. Thank you for so doing. It means so much to Norm and to the rest of the folks who are trying to secure the things that he needs for safe passage straight through the heart of the country. As you travel down 50 Highway in the days ahead, please keep your eyes open for him and be sure to stop and say "hello Norm!" if you should see him. A good jug of nice cold water would always be appreciated and if you are in the Cliff bar aisles in the grocery store, maybe you could pick up a couple and drop them off for him should you happen to come across him walking on the road. You can't miss him! He's the friendliest guy out there :)
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