i just recently got back from summer camp, being an Assistant Scout Master leading young scouts into being good leaders and men to be someday, it was a hot week peaking on Thursday with a 114 degree heat index. Getting home I started to unpack all of my gear and re-organize it and stumbled across I knife of mine I got last November at a gun show.
Last November I was working a gun show with a couple of friends helping a now friend of mine, sell off some of her fathers collection to help repay for some of his medical bills he experienced shortly before his death last year. While he had many old relics, including Mausers from about 8 different countries, Remington made Mosin Nagant, marlins, winchesters, and many more, he also had some "junk". Now we had rented out three tables, and the end table was being used for stuff with either a low price tag or no price tag at all. Stuff like random parts, old cleaning supplies, some guns that wouldn't sell for much, and some BB/pellet guns.
I had arrived a little bit earlier than the rest of them, some other dealers were there too getting set up for the final day. One of them walked in, and just looked over and happened to see one the three BB guns sitting on our table, stopped dead in his tracks and walked over at a fairly rapid pace. He bent over, squinted, and looked up. I'll never forget his words when he looked at me. "My, my brother had one of those when we were younger. I still have mine, but mom got rid of his because she could not bear it. He had a heart problem and died when he was 15 years old. I haven't seen another one like it until Now." After a moment of silence, I said take it, take all three if he wants they are his now.
Now he looked at me and started reaching for his wallet, but I told him No take them, you have already paid. He asked a few questions about them and that's when I told him I was helping My friend sell off what was her dads collection before he passed away. He looked at me and said "I only got two arms, would you mind carrying one of them to my booth?" So I helped him carry them over to his booth. He was retired and made traditional arrows, spears, knives and such out of flint, quartz, amd obsidian to supplement his retirement.
He pointed to a pile of arrows, me being me I picked one up and looked it over. He said "you like it, that is made of a malberry branch my neighbor was getting rid of." He looked at me and said "keep it, you've already paid." I tried to pay for it of course but he would not let me. So I started to walk back to my booth, amazed, when he yelled out "wait a minute." I turned back around, and he was holding a beautiful obsidian knife, straight black, with a deer antler handle held on with real sinew. I was stunned. " I've learned over my 60 odd some years of life that a lot of people now a days have black hearts. You, do not. And so I wish to give this to you, a black heart. It will be the only black heart you will have in your life. Thank you so much for what you have done, it means so much even if it is so little. " It then occurred to me that the obsidian was in the shape of a heart. He wouldn't let me pay for it, or give it back.
I will post photos of it soon, once a learn how. But that is my knife with a Heart. I still can't believe he just gave it to me, he already paid me back. later discussions with him I learned that the stuff he makes brings in most of his income. I still look it over in awe. The entire time I was at his booth he was struggling to hold back tears.
While this story is not as good as any of jackknife's stories it still holds much weight in my heart. I would love to hear your stories of knives with a heart. Photos to come soon. And remember Do a good turn Daily. You never know how much it will effect someone's life.