Author Unknown
Note from Arlene: Stories are such beautiful ways to inspire and illustrate some of the basic truths of life. Last week, we featured a story called How to Find Happiness (Not) and it was immensely popular. So here’s another, very suitable for this holiday season: it’s one of many that you will be seeing regularly from WisdomalaCarte.
I was driving home from a meeting this evening about 5, stuck in traffic on Colorado Blvd., and my car started to choke and sputter and died.
I barely managed to coast, cruising, into a gas station, glad only that I would not be blocking traffic and would have a somewhat warm spot to wait for the tow truck. It wouldn’t even turn over. Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the “quickie mart” building, and it looked like she slipped on some ice and fell into a gas pump! So I got out to see if she was okay. When I got there, it looked more like she had been overcome by sobs than that she had fallen. She was a young woman who looked really haggard with dark circles under her eyes. She dropped something as I helped her up, and I picked it up to give it to her. It was a nickel.
At that moment, everything came into focus for me: the crying woman, the ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff with 3 kids in the back (1 in a car seat), and the gas pump reading $4.95. I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept saying “I don’t want my kids to see me crying,” so we stood on the other side of the pump from her car. She said she was driving to California and that things were very hard for her right now.
So, I asked, “And you were praying?” That made her back away from me a little, but I assured her I was not a crazy person and said, “He heard you, and He sent me.”
I took out my card and swiped it through the card reader on the pump so she could fill up her car completely, and while it was fueling walked to the next door McDonald’s and bought 2 big bags of food, some gift certificates for more, and a big cup of coffee. She gave the food to the kids in the car who attacked it like wolves, and we stood by the pump eating fries and talking a little.
She told me her name, and that she lived in Kansas City. Her boyfriend left 2 months ago and she had not been able to make ends meet. She knew she wouldn’t have money to pay the rent January 1st, and finally, in desperation, had called her parents, with whom she had not spoken in about 5 years. They lived in California and said she could come live with them and try to get on her feet there.
So. she packed up everything she owned in the car. She told the kids they were going to California for Christmas, but not that they were going to live there.
I gave her my gloves, a little hug and said a quick prayer with her for safety on the road. As I was walking over to my car, she said, “So, are you like an angel or something?”
This definitely made me cry. I said, “Sweetie, at this time of year angels are really busy, so sometimes God uses regular people.”
It was so incredible to be a part of someone else’s miracle. And of course, you guessed it, when I got in my car it started right away and got me home with no problem. I’ll put it in the shop tomorrow for a check, but I suspect the mechanic won’t find anything wrong.
Sometimes the angels fly close enough to you that you can hear the flutter of their wings.
Related posts:
- Breakfast At McDonald’s Something as simple as breakfast at MaDonald’s can turn into a lesson about unconditional acceptance, love and compassion. This story by an unknown author reminds us to “love people and use things, rather than love things and use people“. I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree. [...]...
- Don’t We All? by Author Unknown… I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work. Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society would consider a bum. From the looks of him, he had no [...]...
- The Coat Button Cure By Hannah Keeley I was once a prisoner of perfection. If I couldn’t mop the entire kitchen floor perfectly, I wouldn’t do it at all. If I couldn’t declutter my entire closet, I wouldn’t clear out anything. See, here’s the deal with perfection. Some people may look at a cluttered, messy home and think, ‘well, [...]...
- Why Can’t I Get What I Want? By Daniel K Foisy... When I’m in a state of giving, life makes sure that I’m at the right place to start receiving. I don’t even have to ask. And I know that what I receive is always for my greater good....
- Mixed Messages: Are You Short Circuiting Your Desire with Judgments and Discouragement? by Tambra Harck… This weekend I was at a great summer party. There were at least 120 people there, great food and live music. Some guests enjoyed the pool, others danced. Me? I did a little of all that, but mostly I enjoyed meeting new people. Passion for Creative Expression One woman I met was really interested in [...]...