Our final stretch for this journey will be along the Appalachian Trail, sans our dedicated support person Ky Byrne. Cindy and I are the only people to my knowledge to be supported for the length of the American Discovery Trail. That might beg the question of why we needed her. Perhaps even Ky wondered that at times. If so, she should be comforted by this.
We could have hiked the ADT without Ky, including finding places to stay in towns. After all, as Pastor Stan Crawford from Great Bend, Kansas informed us, people saw in Cindy and me a “young blonde and an old man.” We must have cut a sympathetic image during the course of our journey. Don’t think I have too much pride to play on those sympathies!
Yet we were not merely hiking another trail, adding another “notch to our belts.” We had a mission, a mission of kindness and community. I cannot imagine a better person suited as a support person for such a mission. We knew this from the start, from our common origins in a vibrant town and church. Everything we knew was confirmed along our way.
Other people hike across the country for a cause. Indeed, we appeared to be quite a common spectacle as we made our way through Kansas. However, I’ll wager that no one else has been able to pursue their mission as effectively. With our support I was able to post about kindness regularly to the Internet. With our support we were able to give talks to community organizations, schools and faith-based groups along the way, most of them arranged “on the fly” thanks to our support.
That alone does not reveal Ky’s suitability for this mission. Many people could have filled that aspect of support, of enabling me to “do my thing.” Not many could emulate Ky’s kindness and commitment to community in her own right. We fumbled at times for the words to describe Ky’s role in this journey. “Ambassador” never came out, but that seems about right now in reflection.
Ky was not just an ambassador for us but for what our mission of kindness and community was about. She made friends easily, something you might not expect from someone who prides herself on living alone. Ky mentioned herself that while she likes to live alone she found herself often lonely as she left yet another batch of new good friends she made, the same bittersweet phenomenon that affected Cindy and me throughout. People we met along the way kept in contact with her as we journeyed along, I have no doubt they will remain in contact for a long time.
Ky always was quick to help out the “locals” everywhere. Indeed, she seemed to be most uncomfortable when she could not do that. She’s done everything from folding bulletins to cooking meals across America. She also tracked down many good local stories for my podcasts, such as Kevin McGruther’s combined role of farmer’s market and food pantry organizer in Crested Butte, Colorado. I have a lasting image of her saying: “Kirk, you’ve GOT to talk to this person!”
Thank you, Ky, for enabling our mission of kindness and community to be fulfilled so well. When I get feedback about changing people’s lives or someone renaming their kitchen the “Kindness Kitchen” that feedback reflects on you directly. We have quite the cache of shared memories now, don’t we? We look forward to seeing you again when we are all home at last.
Ky at Cape Henlopen
What a beautiful tribute to Ky. She is one special lady.
Thank you for this post, Kirk. She deserved ever word of it. We are so happy to have been given the opportunity to meet Ky and to continue communications with her. She’s surely a jewel.