One cool Tuesday afternoon before the OIM Drop-in closed its doors, a man walked into the main room requesting one small bottle of shampoo. He was tall and dressed like a mountain man with his long dark hair and beard. He was dressed in a long tunic style coat and wore a wool toque(hat) and scarf. He stood very straight. I will call him Raven.
He walked right over to me and started talking. He was telling me about the earth and how important it was to replenish it with trees, shrubs, herbs and vegetation. He was talking about how he sows seed wherever he walks and that his pockets are full of seeds. There are areas in the city where he has planted herbs and now they are shrubs and bushes. He then mentioned about how the Bible talks about our vegetation and how to grow things etc. I was impressed. I commented on how educated he was on the subject and suggested he write a book. As Raven and I continued our conversation, he shared that he had written a few books on that particular subject already. Many of these books were lost over time and through his travels and constant moving around.
It was time to close up the drop-in, Raven showed his appreciation for the shampoo and headed out the door. I watched him as he walked down one street and up another. Interesting man.
My friend and I packed our things and headed for the parking lot where the car was parked. To my surprise, Raven was walking our way and turned into an alley just in behind the parking lot. He stopped and glanced our way and then proceeded with his walk down the alley and then sat down. It only took a minute to pack up the car but when I looked over to spot Raven, he had disappeared. Interesting man.
by Judy – an OIM volunteer