Man walks from Texas to Wash. with 12-foot cross

[October 07, 2009]  ABERDEEN, Wash. (AP) -- A man walking from Texas to his hometown in Washington state has had a cross to bear for months.

James Strickland says he's been dragging a 12-foot cross from Longview, Texas, to his Aberdeen home since May.

The 39-year-old says he was praying about his troubled past when he received a message to start walking on a journey of renewal. He took along the cross, which rolls on wheels with his belongings tied near the bottom.

He expects to reach home Tuesday or Wednesday. Strickland says the trek has taken him through Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah and Idaho.

He says he hopes to reconcile with the mother of his two children.

Aberdeen police Capt. John Green told KXRO-AM that Strickland also has several misdemeanor warrants to clear up.

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Information from: KXRO-AM, http://www.kxro.com/

[Associated Press]

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