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I was back in my hometown for Christmas and my SIL and I decided to go to the Salvation Army and look around on Christmas Eve. I was in the Chidren's section and found some really nice winter coats in the next couple of sizes up for my son for around $5 bucks a piece and a man came up to me and asked if I was Christmas shopping. I said no and as just buying winter coats for my son and he gave me a $100 bucks. He gave several other people $100 bucks before leaving. My SIL wished the Christmas Santa had walked by her.
My friend had a similar encounter with a Christmas Santa. She was at a Waffle House and had been reading her bible. A gentleman came up and asked if he could borrow her bible. A little while later, the man brought the bible back to her and said that a certain bible verse brought great comfort to him and to read it later. When she opened her bible to the page the passage was on, there were two $100 bills.
Almost 50 years ago, I was a poor college student. I drove about 50 miles round trip several times per week to get to school. My old car croaked at the beginning of the semester. I had limited funds but a couple of hundred in savings. This was a time when it was possible to buy a decent for-sale-by-owner car for $100-$200 (and was often cheaper than doing a major repair). I found a number of possibilities in the classifieds but they were spread all over everywhere geographically. The bus didn't go many of the places and I hadn't ridden the bus much anyway.
There were two older adults in my class. Both smarter and more participatory than the average student. One was a lady about 60. While I, and most in school, wore typical jeans and really casual attire, the adults dressed nicely. The older woman, who sat right next to me, was quite elegant. She was tallish, had flawless skin, stylish gray hair and glasses and expensive-looking cashmere sweater and skirt sets. In casual conversation before class, I was bemoaning the loss of my car. At the end of class, she said, "I'm taking you car shopping. When can you go?" I started to demur because I hadn't really even talked to her before. But, she just spoke to me with conviction that it was something we were going to do.
She patiently ran me all over kingdom come on about four or five half-days. Out along dusty country areas, to a few small towns and around the bigger city. She wasn't intrusive but did ask good questions. When I saw one pretty nice car for which I was about $50 short, she offered me money to make up the difference to be paid back when I could. I didn't end up buying that car but found one within my budget the day after which I bought. Then she took me to lunch to celebrate. And she refused to accept money for gas. I wrote her a note of gratitude which she really seemed to appreciate. Such a genteel, gracious, kind person.
As we rode those days, she talked some about her adult children and grand kids and about her husband. Only later did I learn he was a teacher and a pastor. I sure wasn't surprised. I will never forget how much her kindness meant to me.
Imagine you're a Jew in Nazi Germany. The Gestapo is hunting you down. A kind old German lady takes you in, hides you in her house, and later asks her son to lead you down little-known trails so you can safely get out of the city.
The country was not Germany and I am not a Jew, but that's what an old lady did for me. She saved my life.
One time, in 1979, Hubby and I were driving in Wyoming, westbound, after crossing the Bighorn Mtns. Our car broke down on a Sunday and the car repair shop would not be getting the part in until Monday morning. A guy invited us to his home to spend the night with himself and his wife. Everything worked out fine....
This wasn't exactly a stranger, per se, but I had never met her before. My dad was on life support in the hospital and it was becoming apparent that he wasn't going to come back. So I was taking turns sitting by his bedside, talking to the doctors, etc. His girlfriend and many members of her family had shown up, so I went out to explain to them what was going on and what the doctors were saying. My "stepmother" was really upset, obviously, and I remember feeling almost like I was outside of myself, like I was playing the role of hostess and I had to make sure they were okay, especially my stepmother.
Anyway, after I had talked to them for a while, I turned and was starting to walk back to see my dad. One of the daughters-in-law of my stepmother came over to me and put her hands on my arms and asked, "(SeaOfGrass), are you okay?" But she looked into my eyes like she really meant it. I kind of just gave a small laugh and said, "I think I am." Then she gave me this big, squeezy hug. Not a polite, helpful hug, but a REAL hug. I just remember how much it meant to me; she didn't even know me, but she made sure I could feel her support. I'll never forget it.
Too many to count so I'll list the most recent one:
We just left a baseball game. My wife, our 2 year old daughter and I. We are waiting outside of the stadium for the shuttle to come back. Older woman and her husband, think grandparent age, came up to us and said to my wife, "I don't know if she's old enough but one of the players threw this to us and I'd like you (my daughter) to have it." It was a game used baseball. Totally unexpected and greatly appreciated. She's not old enough to realize it yet but she will understand when she's old enough.
Most recently, a woman in the Antwerp train station offered me a twenty cent piece so I could go through the bathroom turnstile. It cost fifty cents.
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