Angels Among Us

I believe there is goodness in all of mankind, no matter how buried and untenable it may seem at times. I was an awestruck witness and gracious recipient of a stranger's kindness the other day.

I've been helped by strangers before, but never like this. When I was 16, I was picked up by a trucker when my Chevette blew it's radiator and cracked it's head.  I remember feeling trepidatious when he offered me a ride, but I had my pepper-spray opened and hidden in my fist... just in case. When I settled in and we headed down the highway to find a place to turn around, he told me the reason he stopped to help me, "I have a daughter your age. I knew I had to stop because I know I am safe and I know too many people are not. I'd want someone like me to help my daughter if she needed it, so I had to help you. I wasn't going to be able to drive past you and not know if you would be safe". I relaxed at the point.

He took me to a gas station in my hometown where I was able to call my uncle to pick me up and take me home. My grandfather was a trucker; he and I were very close before his death at my tender age of six. I couldn't help myself from thinking that he was watching over me and had sent that kind trucker to rescue me.

Angels are everywhere and make themselves known when you least expect it, but greatly need them.  I had another incident of a roadside rescue. I don't remember exactly what happened to my car, but I know that I was on my way to the hospital and had been following my parents. They were focused on getting to the hospital, so they didn't realize that I was no longer behind them. Cell phones were still not readily available, so I had no way to reach my parents. It was dark, and I was worried that I wouldn't get to the hospital in time and I was scared of being stuck on the roadside at night. I was barely stranded for five minutes before someone stopped to help me. I couldn't believe my luck - not only did I know the couple that had stopped to help me, but they were also headed to the same hospital, but for a different reason. I was safe and I had a ride to the hospital. Was it coincidence? Luck? Angels? I'm sticking with angels.

I've had a myriad of such instances over my thirty-some years. I always thank God for sending me these angels. My most recent angel experience took place in the grocery store and I was overcome with tears of joy from this kind strange/angel that I met.

My kids and I had been grocery shopping and were waiting in the check out line. This older gentleman brought up his cart to wait behind us and said hello to me. I, of course, greeted him back. He commented that I had my bears with me. I was a little confused and it must have shown on my face, because he nodded toward my kids and told me that is what he called his kids, his "bears". I smiled and nodded. He told me that there were some great kids movies on at the theater and asked if had been to see any of them.  I informed him that we hadn't, as going to the movies simply didn't fit in our budget at this time. He nodded and agreed that the economy has been hurting everyone lately. He then asked me to watch his cart and wandered off.

I didn't mind watching his cart and keeping his place in line, although I got a little nervous as I was about to check out and he hadn't returned yet. Suddenly he returned with a grocery bag in hand. He handed it to me and said that he hoped it would help me take the kids to the movies. I could see that there was some candy in the bag, for the kids, and I thanked him, but told him he "didn't need to do that". I am ever prideful at times. He explained to me that he missed his kids and that he wanted to make my kids happy and think about that. It was the first time I noticed the sadness in his eyes. I thanked him again, this time gratefully.

I handed off the bag to my daughter and returned my attention to the cashier. My daughter pulled on my top and said mommy, there's a dollar in here. I looked at the bag she held open and saw for the first time the extent of this man's generosity in his gift to me and my children. It was not a dollar as my daughter thought, but a twenty dollar bill. Twenty dollars and two bags of M&Ms. My head snapped up to meet his eyes. I started getting choked up and started blubbering that it "was too much". He shook his head and told me that he wanted us to have it. He missed his children and wished that he could have more time with them, and if he could make my kids happy in their place, it made him happy to do it. I was overcome with gratitude, as I never really get a chance to do fun thing,s like going to the movies, with my kids. I was also overcome with his sorrow. The tears sprang from my eyes as I approached him to bless him and give him a hug of thanks - and also because I felt he needed to feel the love a hug gives.

The following day I took my kids to see The Life of Pi.

The final part of our conversation involved him introducing himself to me and naming the church that he attends. I shook my head to indicate that I am not familiar with that church and he chuckled and said, "us Catholics aren't all bad". I'm not sure why he said that, but considering how often people in general stereotype people who follow certain religions, and I am fully aware of the Catholic stereotype, he probably supposed that I have something against Catholicism when I didn't recognize the church name. I was tempted to quip back that neither are "us Muslims" all bad. I didn't because I didn't want the focus of what he did for us change into something else. I am always at the ready for inter-religious dialogue, but I felt in this instant that the potentially ensuing discussion might detract from the kindness that he showed to us. I just wanted to bask in his generosity and let him do the same.

I pray that God bestows blessings upon this kind man and that he gets to spend more time with the family he so misses. I hope that kindness flows to him as it flowed from him. Thank you again, kind sir.