“Late Autumn Island” by Clayton
It was an unusually cold afternoon here in Louisville, Kentucky, and snow flurries and sleet fell from the overcast October sky. The wind made it feel even colder, and I couldn’t shake the chill of the day no matter what I did. Leave it to one of the men at the day shelter for homeless men where I work to make the day brighter and warmer with an unexpected act of kindness that I will never forget.
One of the staff members alerted me that Clayton had come to the day shelter to see me, so, I made my way across the shelter to greet him. He checks in with me about his efforts to obtain housing and to update me on his various medical concerns, and since we do not have the resources to meet his current needs, I do what I can to provide Clayton with support and compassion while we continue to address the barriers to housing. Instead of Clayton coming to me for assistance, today, he came to me for an entirely different reason.
He met me with a smile, red-faced from the cold wind and steadying himself with his cane, and we exchanged warm pleasantries. When I asked what I could do for him today, he surprised me by saying, “I have something to give you. I have had it hidden outside since the weekend, waiting until I could make it in here to give it to you. Wait right here; I’ll go get it.” I definitely was intrigued.
A few minutes later, Clayton returned, carrying the homemade sculpture pictured above, and he gingerly presented it to me and said, “I made this for you from a piece of drift wood I found near where I camp out, and my brother gave me the wire. I call it, Late Autumn Island.” As I thanked him for making me such a lovely and unique gift, I noticed tears pooling in his eyes, which set off tears of my own, as he said, “It’s just to thank you for you everything you do for me.” I gave him a hug, and in quiet, breaking voice, Clayton said, “I love you”, and I responded in a voice that matched his emotion, saying, “I love you right back, Clayton.”
When we parted ways, I took my precious gift to my office, where it now proudly sits on my desk. Whenever I look at it, I immediately break into a smile, as it really is far more beautiful than this picture shows, and the colors and the markings on the driftwood are simply lovely. I am not artistic at all, so, I am in awe when I see an artist create something out of nothing. Clayton’s work of art truly left me in awe for a number of reasons. It amazed me that he took the unlikely duo of wood and wire to create a lovely sculpture. It amazed me that he chose me to be the recipient of this priceless treasure. It amazed me that he carefully protected it from the elements and other people to deliver it safely to me today. It amazed me, and so did he.
Clayton managed to take two elements that most people overlook and do not consider to be beautiful to create something wonderful. He saw the potential that most people miss. That sculpture is like the men who come to the day shelter seeking hope and help. Outwardly, they may not fit the definition of beautiful, and because of their living status, most people view them as anything but having value and potential. They have been set adrift by society at large, waiting to wash up on shore and to have someone help them discover their incredible worth and unlimited potential. How truly blessed I am to have the honor and privilege of receiving a precious gift from Clayton and, more importantly, to be able to share this part of his journey with him.
As I left the day shelter to go to a meeting, I passed by Clayton and exchanged farewells with him. I was almost to the front door, when I heard him call out to me from across the day shelter, “I love you, Miss Kristi.” I grinned from ear to ear and replied, “I love you right back, Clayton”. For that moment, I hope that he no longer felt adrift in life, as he has a home with all of us at the day shelter, and I hope that a home of his own to keep him anchored becomes available for him soon.
That’s another story . . .
Categories: That's Another Story
That's Another Story 
You are so talented! I do hope you understand that you are an amazing writer– how you craft these stories. I totally love that this happened to you!! You deserve it 10 fold!! XO
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Oh, Senlin, you are so dear to say that, and I appreciate it a great deal! It is easy to write about our guys, as they truly inspire me, as do strong and gutsy women, such as you:) Love to you!
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I agree with Senlin! You are an amazing woman and Clayton sounds like an amazing man. Great story.
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Aw, thank you so much for sharing such kind words with me, and I have to give all of the credit to Clayton for his beautiful spirit and lovely gesture!
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Such a touching post….how blessed you are to be with the men there at the shelter and how blessed Clayton is for having you and the shelter in his life.
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Thank you, Sheila, and I really do receive more than I give, as these men share so much with us and put so much faith and trust in us to help them and be present for them. It is an honor and a privilege to know each and every one of them!
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I would expect it to snow here at 5330 feet on Utah’s Wasatch range long before it does anywhere in Kentucky, but I guess not. Even the mountaintop hasn’t had more than dustings. From your “bio” page, I definitely think that horses, generally better possessed of sense than people are, should come first in the interest ordering. The sculpture is interesting even though the image resolution is low; for instance the nature of the wire superstructure which may represent a tree is indeterminate in the picture. However, Americans do seem in the habit of overlooking potential–the potential in a person, even if there does not appear to be much of it, is not extinguished completely until after the person dies.
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It is not often that we see snowflakes in October, but it does happen. I definitely am not a photographer and apologize for the less than sharp image, as it does not do the sculpture justice. I believe that everyone has potential and that part of the work we do at the day shelter is discover that potential. We have a lot of undiscovered gems in our midst indeed.
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I love this, you are so perfectly suited for the job you do, the men in the shelter are truly blessed to cross paths with you! 🙂
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Thank you for saying something so nice, and I definitely am the one who feels blessed day in and day out:)
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Thank you for sharing this; I appreciate it!
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