CarrollBlog

Yesterday I posted here a link to a blog about "The saddest thing I own."
I sent the link to a friend and this was her reply:

I was thinking about the saddest thing I owned.
At first I thought nothing I owned was sad; that I wouldn't keep anything around if it made me hurt. Later in the day though I opened a drawer to find my keys and sitting there in front was a note I saved, left on the backdoor of my store. It is written on a receipt for bottled water....a Hinckley and Schmidt receipt. A homeless guy found it and wrote on the back...

Dear Boss,
I found this receipt and thought you might need it. Thank you for letting me stay in the back of your store, it's very nice of you and I apreciate it. If you ever need anything let me know. Thank you very very much for not kicking me out.

He lived on the back step of my store, in the alley. He'd put cardboard down every night and had a broken wicker kitchen type chair he would sit on. Sometimes when I would stay late he would be out there and I would nearly hit him when I opened the door. He would say..."i'msorryi'msorryi'msorry," a million times. I would say "no, I am sorry, I nearly hit you". He would always say "thank you, take care boss, have a good evening"..."you too, honey". He never asked me for a penny, I never knew his name. He liked that I called him honey and would smile. I haven't seen him for a year at least. I took his chair in after a few months, it's still inside waiting for him. I wonder if he is still alive. The note was the last I heard from him. I saved it because it broke my heart everytime I read it and made me realize how lucky I am, I was dealt a good hand, and how good people can be dealt such terrible cards. He was grateful for a step to sleep on.