For some reason I felt inclined to share a few occasions in which the kindness of total strangers has astounded me.

When we were a young family we delivered newspapers in the early hours of the morning. One day, while doing a quick U-turn, my hand slipped from the steering wheel and I slammed full force into the curb, popping my tire. Before I could even say "Oh darn!" a man on a bicycle was at my window insisting on changing my tire for me! Upon seeing the kids in the car, he also reached into his lunch bag and asked if it would be OK if he gave the kids a treat of pre-packaged crackers and cheese. Funny, how he happened to have had one for each kid. What could I say?

I knew how to change a tire, but he was already on it when I got out of the car, and I doubt he would have taken 'no' for an answer anyway. I've never had a tire changed that quickly in all my life! Not only that, but the guy was grinning from ear to ear as he did it! Five minutes, tops, and we were both off and running again. Who WAS that helmeted man?

*****

On another day, my husband and I were coming out of a large discount store that happened to be near some railroad tracks. We were waiting for what seemed to be a long time to get out of the parking lot when we heard the intense and very close warning of a train's horn. It was then that we became aware of the delay. A guy a few cars ahead of us was stalled... RIGHT ON THE TRACKS!

Suddenly, as if in a well choreographed scene from a movie, several men got out of their cars at once and calmly but efficiently pushed the vehicle off the tracks, just in the nick of time!

*****


On another occasion I was at home when I heard a knock at the door. We lived pretty far out in the country, so it was rare to have unexpected visitors. I opened the door to find a woman with white hair holding a bicycle helmet in her hands. She said... "My husband jogs along this road and saw your boy roller-blading without a helmet. We had an extra one and my husband wanted your son to have it".

I thought that was so sweet! I also wondered if they really did have an "extra one", or if they didn't just go out and buy it. Either way, it was very thoughtful.

*****

Years later, I worked in an antique store that had once been a warehouse. It was Christmas Eve, if I remember right, and the propane for the heater had run out days earlier. It was cold enough to see your breath inside the building, and I was counting the minutes till closing time. It had been an extremely slow day, and I remember debating in my mind about whether it would be OK to close early.

At about 10 minutes till closing, an older couple came bouncing in. They were cheery and sweet, and noticed the coldness of the building right away. The husband reached out, felt my hands and said, "I have just the thing". I guess they had been there before because he knew right where we kept the complimentary coffee. I protested when he brought a cup to me, letting him know that I didn't drink coffee. He said... "It's not to drink. It's to warm up your hands", and with that he placed the cup in my hands and wrapped his own warm fingers around mine... just for a minute.

During that time his wife had been making a quick breeze around the store. Seemingly mindful that it was nearly closing time, she returned to the counter right at 5:00. She complimented me on how nice the place looked, and with a jolly exchange of "Merry Christmas", they were off.

It was worth staying to the end just for them! I will never forget that man's unreserved warmth and tenderness, or any of the other people mentioned here who didn't hesitate to reach out and do a good deed when the opportunity arose.