Kind Stranger in the Night

Little miracles happen to us all. When we open to them with appreciation we bring healing to body and heart. When we share the stories we bring healing to our families, communities and the world.

This year, on the Saturday morning before Christmas, on a dark and stormy night, my college-aged daughters and their best friend experienced one of these everyday miracles.

At 1:30 in the morning, they pulled off the freeway into a nearly deserted gas station, feeling giddy relief at finally heading into the last miles toward home.

Juliana and Felsha had been driving since ten the morning before, taking a friend to the airport and then, several hours later, meeting Emily's flight. Western Oregon was in the middle of a snow and ice storm and all of us had anxiety about the driving conditions. Fortunately, that day happened to be the best window of clear weather in the whole week, and all day everything had gone well.

After filling up with gas, eager to set out, they couldn't start the car. It seemed, in those few minutes, to have completely died.

"Oh my gosh, mom, it was so frustrating! We were finally half an hour from home and so tired and freeze-ass-cold and it was so late we didn't want to call you or Felsha's parents!"

While they tried everything they knew to do, the gas station attendant ignored them. When my daughters approached him for help, he responded to their request with a careless shrug, saying, "I don't know anything about cars."

A few minutes before, another customer had pulled into the station in a jeep-like vehicle. He overhead them talking to the attendant and rather shyly asked if he could take a look.

"Yes, please!" they exclaimed.

Solidly built and strong looking with a kind, gentle face, the man got in their car and tried to start it. He looked under the hood and tried various things and gave them the AAA number to call in case he couldn't get it going.

While he worked on the car this man mentioned his brother the Lord. Not, my daughters assured me, in a preachy way at all but in a way that helped them feel the importance of this relationship as something the man lived by.

After talking to them, reading through the manual and trying several things, he realized they had blown a fuse. When he found the car's replacement fuse was missing he told them he had one that might work.

Turns out, this kind stranger had put a replacement fuse in his car just the day before. Turns out, it was just the fuse they needed.

"Don't you need it?"

"Yes, but not as badly as you do."

"Can we pay you?"

"No." He smiled his gentle smile and wished them well.

They thanked him and drove away.

His license plate read: HS LOVE.

Thank you, dear man, for helping my girls. Thank you for reminding us of the goodness in the world. You have given us a sweet gift in this season when we, and those of many faiths, celebrate the light of love illuminating darkness.

What are your stories of everyday miracles? Tell them. Tell them to your children. Tell them to your parents, your co-workers and your friends.

Our stories of kindness and miracles, large and small, are true medicine for our bodies and souls. These stories remind us of who we really are.