Friday, July 28, 2023
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On June 25, 2019, I was so bold as to stop this complete stranger, as he walked past the end of my driveway, while I was packing to go to the cottage 40 miles away. I had seen him hide some luggage in the bushes across the road, and when he returned from the bus stop with a larger piece of luggage, I decided I needed to ask if he needed a safer place to put them if he were planning to hunt for a job and a place to sleep. My husband, Wylie, had taken our lawn tractor, a couple of hours earlier, to the cottage so there was room in the shed for Daniel to leave his luggage and return for it later or to get something from it, while looking for a place to stay. I offered it and I left the choice up to him. He decided to take me up on my offer and wrote, on a postage stamp-sized piece of paper, with a stubby pencil, about two inches long, “Laura, I have come for my stuff. Daniel Prickett “. He would leave this note in my shed to let me know when he came for his things so I wouldn’t think someone had stolen them. Very thoughtful boy! I called the neighbours across the street and next- door, so they wouldn’t call the police if they saw him on my property. He left his things there and went up to MacDonald’s to " clean up “ and go looking for a job. He said he had money for food and he could choose from several fast food establishments as well as a restaurant. Each was no more than 3 minutes away. I left to go to the cottage. I trusted him at our place. I found out later that he had come back that night and slept in the shed. His mother thanked me for looking after Daniel, but I felt it a priviledge. He was a blessing in my life.
I'm remembering little things that took place when he was here like seeing him sitting on his sleeping bag, provided by one of my sons, with his back against a 2”x4”, in the shed, reading his Bible. I apologized for not being able to allow him in the house because he was a stranger and my husband wasn’t home. He said that was okay because he felt close to God in the shed. I think about the fact that I had no fear of this stranger and that he had many opportunities to hurt me, if he so chose.
He really was a gentle, sensitive, thankful soul and that is who he was when he was here. I was so surprised the first time I saw him sitting on our patio reading his Bible and making notes in a scribbler. We had a short discussion and I suggested he concentrate on reading the New Testament, especially the Book of John. I was even more surprised when he asked me to pray for him, one day after I picked him up from the job he had been offered by a pastor at the Pentecostal Church , which I used to attend in the summer while at my cottage.
I had asked for prayer for Daniel, when he first arrived, that he would be able to find a job and a place to live. On the second Sunday, I repeated my request and after service, a Pastor in the congregation, came to me and said he could give him a couple days work in the hay field, if he were interested. Daniel was happy to get the offer so I called and arranged a time to take him to the farm. I made a lunch for him and dropped him off, with his 4L jug of water, a cap my husband gave him (for the sun) and a pair of work gloves. I knew he was going to be lifting square bales of hay so I suggested he wear a t-shirt with long sleeves to protect his arms from the sharp ends of the baled hay. I returned to get him when the hay had all been collected from the field. He looked happy and we talked on the way home that day and the next. While sitting in the car, in our yard, he asked if I would pray for him, so I put my hand on his shoulder and prayed for God’s protection and for help finding work and a place to live. We often had discussions concerning the Bible and prayed together.
The Daniel my husband and I met in Sackville was a gentle soul. I am reminded of a video he sent me of his cat, Fynn just a few months ago. The cat had probably been in a fight and the injury had become seriously infected. In the video, it showed him patiently removing maggots from the open injury, with a pair of tweezers. I had trouble watching the wiggling things but I marveled at his dexterity and the love he showed for his kitty. Apparently, he was able to treat it successfully and I was proud of him.
On June 24, 2023, he texted, “ You ARE my Gmother”. Mother in God. I don't know what prompted this message because we hadn't been in touch for two days. We both felt that this whole scenerio had been orchestrated by God and that I was his God Mother.
I will treasure our time together forever.
These memories, of Daniel Prickett, are from an 82 year old former school teacher who spent 57 years working with children, K-12, including with Special Needs.
