Sudden Angels

What's the kindest thing a stranger has ever done for you? We asked our readers that question and the stories they told suggest there are people who care all around us.








A Heart Case
When my husband and I were living in South Korea, he was hospitalized with a terrible flu. We did't speak Korean and the doctor didn't speak English. At one point, an orderly took me down a hallway to a desk and left me there. I got the impression it was time to pay, but I didn't know how much. Worse, I didn't have any cash with me.

Later, a young woman sitting by her mother, in the bed next to my husband' s, saw me crying and came over. She spoke some English and immediately took over. She found out how much moner I needed and took me to her father, who offered me $400. When I refused, he drove me home to get the money. They also sat with me the entire night and translated everything the doctors said. In the morning they even brought us breakfast and called our employers to explain the situation.

We later found out the mother had come in to emergency with a heart problem. The family had expected her to die, yet they took the time to help strangers in their country and did everyting they could to make a terrible situation as calm and reassuring as possible.

Ring of Fate
Newly engaged, I was wandering in a park, enjoying the day, when I suddenly realized that my diamond ring was gone. It must have slipped off my finger. For what seemed like hours, I searched the grass, with no luck. I was heartbroken.

Certain it was gone for good, I sat on a beanch looking forlorn. Before long, a young man approached and asked me what was wrong. I found myself telling him the whole story and soon he was helping me search. After at least another hour, I was ready to give it up for lost, but the stranger urged me to keep trying, saying he was sure we would find it.

Sure enough, just as he was turning to look in another area, he reached down and picked up a ring. In the whole of that huge park, he had found it! I was thrilled.

I wanted to reward him, but he refused to accept anything, saying that just seeing me smile again was enough for him. I think of him often and I thank him in my heart for helping me that day, more than 24 years ago.

Sharing the Load
I had just started driving tractor trailers for a living and had to pick up three coils of steel. It was the first time I had driven up north and the first time I ever picked up a load of steel. I was responsible for setting up the trailer and making sure it met the load requirements.

Onec there, I started setting up when another trucker, whose load was already chained and tarped, spotted what I was doing and came over. On learning that this was my first time, he showed me where each roll should go and how it should be set on the trailer. With his help, I made it back safely and without any overload charges.

Although I am no longer driving a tractor trailer, I remember what that man did, and I try to pay back his kindness to other people.

Pitching In
During the summer of 1995, my husband was attacked and nearly killed by a bull on our farm. At the time, we hadn't yet started our haying, and the dauting prospect of doing it by myself was in the back of my mind as I stayed with my husband those first few days in hospital.

About a week after the attack, I came home one day to find our land overrun by some 75 people, including neighbors (many of whom I barely knew as I had just moved there), friends and family members. Supplying all of the necessary farm equipment themselves, they worked together and brougth in all of our hay in just three days.

I will never forget the overwhelming gratitude I felt. The kindness they showed us still brings tears to my eyes.

Spirit of Giving
It was December 22, 1994. I had driven to Vancouver to deliver Chistmas presents and spent a hectic but enjoyable day visiting and exchanging gifts. Now the time had come to make the trip back home. The night was clear, with a hint of snow in the air.

At around 10 p.m., I had just stopped at a red light when a white billowy cloud erupted from the front of my car. I sat transfixed until I saw people motioning for me to get out, as they thought the car might be on fire. Two men at the curbside hurried over. They quickly realized that it wasn't smoke but the angry hiss of a ruptured radiator hose. There was nothing to do but push the vehicle out of the way of other traffic.

As I stood there debating my options, I oticed another man quietly observing. He said he knew something abount cars and offered to take a look. Of course, I gratefully accepted. When he came closer, I saw him shaking slightly in his ragged, threadbare clotes and wondered if it was from the bottle stuffed into his coat poket. I had doubts about his abilities, but he quickly spotted the problem and began what turned into a lengthy repair job.

While he was struggling to put some parts back together again, another young man appeared on the scene. He told me he was an apprentice mechanic, had seen the cloud coming from my car and woudered if he might be of any service. Now I had two unlikely angels working on my behalf.

This young man ran back to his nearby home several times to get what he needed to heop a perfect stranger out of her predicament. And the pair of them did it with laughter, creativity, resolve and cold, stiff fingers.

I thought I had experienced the spirit of Christmas earlier in the day with my friends, but now I was living it in a much deeper, more authentic way. In a world that is often harsh and frightening, the kindness these two souls extended towards me on that cold, dark night, shines in my heart still.


Diagnosis from a Stranger
I was a young mother, having just transferred from another town. The move and the changes involved had taken a toll on my five-year-old son, who had begun acting up in his kindergarten class. It seemed his teacher was phoning or sending notes home nearly every week. She and the school principal strongly suggested that I seek some sort of counseling for my son, but they didn't suggest anyone I could contact. I was on my own.

In desperation, I picked a child psychologist from the phone book at random and simply left my name and phone number. That evening, the doctor called. He told me he usually dealt with extreme problems of abuse or neglect, but given the sound of my voice in thd message I'd left, he thought he' d try to help.

He spoke with me for over an hour. We discussed my son and the behavior of an essentially happy little boy who was having trouble adjusting to son many changes. His reactions, the doctor reassured me, were normal, and the disruptiveness would surely pass with the support of his family and teacher. The docter even offered to phone my son's teacher.

I was overwhelmed by his generosity. A complete stranger, he gave a floundering parent his time without payment. I hope he will read this and know that the five-year-old is now ten and doing great!

Cycle of Trust
A number of year ago, when I was in my mid-20s, I was cycling back to Montreal from Ottawa when my front wheel slipped onto the gravel shoulder. Before I knew it, I was off my bike and on the ground. Stunnhed, I sat for a moment to take inventory.

My bike had a bent front wheel and a flat tire, and my leg and elbow were gashed. I was on a remote road, and though cars were driving by, none took any notice of my predicament.

But then a man in a pickup truck stopped. He put my bike in the back of his truck and me in the front. I must admit that as we drove off, all the warnings I had ever heard about getting into vehicles with strangers passed through my mind. Luckily, it turned out that he was a good guy. He drove off, all the warnings I had ever heard about getting into vehicles with strangers passed through my mind. Luckily, it turned out that he was a good guy. He drove me back to the nearest town and got me fixed up at the local clinic. He even waited to make sure I was okay, and once I was bandaged up, he bought me a sandwich.

Then, with my bike put back together, he drove me to the highway, where we parted company.

That act of kindness changed the way I view people. There really are good Samaritans out there.