Hope...Is a thing with pages...

Some years ago, I created a quote that I sent to the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. To be honest, it was a dare. One evening after we had been out, my friends said "Hey Rachel, bet you won't send a fake quote to the library for their columns. My response "Challenge Accepted!" About a year later, someone called me and said "Hey Rachel, you need to get to the Charlotte library and read the columns. I was reading the columns when there it stood, my quote--I looked at it in complete disbelief.

Today, I had to go to Charlotte for another psychological evaluation for ministry--the UMC is very thorough when it comes to ordination. After my test, I decided to take a walk in Uptown, so over to the library I went. And my sign was still up!

But more than that, I had the honor and privilege to speak with some of the people in Charlotte that sit outside the library reading. These people make the conscious decision to hang out at the library because they are homeless and as one gentleman told me today, "the library represents hope." If you tuned into my Facebook live today, you saw me glancing the these two men at the PLCMC-Main Branch. I was scared, but knew these guys wouldn't hurt me. After I turned off the camera, the one guy looked at me and then to the book in his hands and said "I come here daily...just to read, warm up some, and then it's back to looking for a place to sleep at night.

Then he asked me "What makes that quote so much more special than the others?" I looked at him and said "To me, this is special because the author is me." 

"I really like that quote...your quote. I try to think about it when I pick up a book--I wonder what journey I will take." We spoke briefly about the library and what it meant to him and he said "When I became homeless, I lost everything--I lost my books, my happiness and my hope---the library represents hope." I asked him if he'd like to be in the picture with me and he declined.

You see I've worried all this time that I would never make an impact on anyone--and today I got to meet someone who has nothing and he still takes time to read--and to be inspired by a silly college prank. Yes, it was a prank, a incredibly stupid prank, BUT...it, along with the books that are housed in the PLCMC have given someone hope.

I think I can say, as Harry Potter would..."Mischief Managed!"