When Lee was here on Wednesday evening, he asked if I’d trim his sideburns: a task I’m not very good at, but every time he asks, I do it for him. Well, this time, I went a step further.

On Thursday afternoon, I asked if he’d let me take him to a barber shop. He accepted and let me know of a cheap one he’s been to before, so before I dropped him off at the park, we went to get his haircut.

Now, much of the rest of this will be “general” because it’s about someone I met.

At the shop, while waiting for Lee, I noticed a young man with a detailed tattoo and asked him about it…if it hurt to have it done. He said, “Yes” and started telling me about it.

I stood up to meet him and was so glad I did. What an amazing young man! Through the short time we spent together, we talked quite a bit and found out about each other’s lives.

This past November, his twenty-one year old girlfriend of five years committed suicide. They loved each other very much and had life plans together, but having lost her mother the year before, life became too much for her.

As it was, she had epileptic seizures, and after her mother passed, they worsened, which led to her suicide.

This twenty-two year old young man talked about her with honor.

All that’s left of her are ashes, which he plans to use (mixed with ink) on a future tattoo to keep her with him.

Since she’s gone, his life plans have changed some.

Honestly, I hope God opens doors for him to speak at different high schools and such about suicide prevention. He’s so down-to-earth and would be received very well by young people and could be a vessel to save many lives.

You know, when I first sat down to wait for Lee, I realized I’d left my phone in the car but was too lazy to go get it. I’m so glad I left it. Otherwise, I might’ve missed getting to know this young man from being on my phone.

During our conversation, he allowed me to pray for him and even removed his hat, out of respect for God. It was such a simple yet reverent act.

Since I’m leaving this “general,” I won’t disclose the name of the barber shop, but if you ask me about it, I’ll tell you. I encountered the most amazing group of people at this shop and the best atmosphere to boot!

Oh, one more thing: one thing I notice about Lee…he never wants anyone to know he lives in the park. It’s very important to him for people to see him as “normal,” and it was fun to listen to him having a “normal” conversation with the young man cutting his hair.