Bless Kindness

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It was the summer of 2006, an extremely hot Texas summer day.  I was returning from shopping at a nearby shopping center and as I turned onto the service road to enter the ramp to the highway, out of the corner of my eye I noticed a young man in his late 20's to early 30's walking and behind him trailing farther and farther back was a boy no more than 11 or 12.

Both the man and the boy struggling to carry their large gym bags that seemed to be dragging them down slowing their pace.  I assumed that their car must have broken down and thought hey today is as good as any to perform a random act of kindness, so I took the next exit making my way back to the stranded man and boy. 

As I pulled up to the man and rolled my window down, I asked if they needed a ride.  He didn't have a chance to respond because the boy came running up to my car pleading, "please help us."  I could tell right away they had been walking for a long long time.  The look in the boy’s eyes was pure desperation; his little body had taken him as far as he could go.

The man explained that they had come to the Dallas Ft. Worth area from a small town in Oklahoma for fun at Six Flags.  They had traveled with the boy's mother who suffered from emotional outbursts.  In one of her tirades she had put the man and the boy out forcing them to walk home from Texas to Oklahoma.  I asked if they needed a ride to a bus station, the man explained that they had no money with them and their cell phone was no longer charged.  They had no one to call to come and get them. 

Oh geesh is all I could think.  From where we were in Bedford, TX to where they needed to go was at least a 3 hour car drive, there was no way they could make it walking in this heat.  Even if they could make it the time it would take to make it on foot broke my heart.  Even more sadly I thought of the loneliness of having no one to call on in a time of need, and that this young man was doing the best that he could. 

I asked them where the woman was, and was told she was driving by taunting them every few miles.  WHAT?  What kind of woman would do that?  I couldn't believe they had dragged their bags with them for at least ten miles already.  My own father was a tormented soul who spent his life tormenting souls.  I had witnessed it growing up far too often and as I looked into his painful eyes I knew I had to do something.

Was this a test of faith?  Was I being set up?  Could this really be happening?  I didn't know any of this, all I knew is that there was a little boy being dragged into this grown up mess and I couldn't allow it to continue.  I had wished growing up that just once an ounce of compassion had been demonstrated to me and my siblings being the children of dysfunctional parents.  Here was my opportunity to see the sorrow in a child’s eyes and not turn away.  Looking at the boy was like looking into a mirror.  I knew he might never share with anyone just how sad and alone he felt and today he didn’t have to either because I already knew.

"Get in guys, you just got yourselves a ride to Oklahoma" is all I could think to say.  They boy said thank you so many times, I couldn't keep up.  He climbed into my car, which happened to be a Hummer 3, complete with TV’s, leather seats, sunroof, custom wheels.  The boy was in awe as if he had died and gone to heaven.  The smile on his face was priceless.  He said he couldn’t believe his luck to be picked up by a person with a Hummer.  I smiled to myself, thanking God, that I was the one he chose to put on the road on this day at this time. 

Along with my own son who was only 9 we set off on a journey to a small country town in Oklahoma that I had never heard of.  I was amazed at how well mannered the boy was who from all accounts could have been a basket case given the unstable home life he obviously came from.  We made small talk doing our best to talk about what the kids wanted to do when they grew up, playing sports, how they did in school, just talking and listening like old friends do.

The entire way we all talked like we had known each other forever.  I gave my two cent advice to the man keeping it short and to the point, only saying that in the future he should do all of the driving that way he and his son would always have a way home.  He laughed and agreed. The boy said he didn't want to see his mother anymore and that was sad.  But I understood that his young heart had already been hurt so many times.

I know that most people wouldn't give a person a ride across town much less across state lines, but when God moves you to take action you don't measure miles or count minutes, you put on the armor of courage and you take on the quest with vigor and knowledge that no harm will come to you.  If God takes you to it, he will take you through it.

We got to Duncan, OK and as we turned down the street where they lived, the man showed me the childhood home of Ron Howard, the actor and director.  Also on the corner of the road was a small town carnival that was a permanent structure.  I kind of laughed to myself thinking, well I never planned on a trip to see Ron Howard's childhood home, but so be it. 

My son and I said our goodbyes, wished them well in their lives and drove back down the road.  The man and son both expressed their gratitude and blessed my son and me.  The man offered to pay for my gas and I declined, I told him that the only thing I wanted for him and his son was to be happy and when they were given the chance to help someone in need that they too would do the right thing.  They both promised to do just that.

I decided to stop at the carnival and my son and I spent about an hour or so just having a good time.  My son met a young boy there and the two of them rode rides and had a great time.  I sat on a bench and watched them play, and thought how blessed I am, that even in the darkest hours, I'm not alone.

Finally it was time to leave, my son and I returned to Texas laughing and talking about our adventure.  I don't even remember their names, but I will never forget the look on that boy's face, the look of pain, helplessness and mixed in he still had faith in other people.  He was hurt by one woman and helped by another.  I hope that my reaching out to him and showing him another side of a woman that he will grow up seeking a stable relationship.

I hope his mother learned that if she wasn't willing to take care of him properly there are other women who would step in and demonstrate to him for his own sake that good women exist. 

This is a story of inspiration; it takes a village to raise a child.  Never forget that.