The Kindness of Strangers

It started out like any other Saturday--kids up at 6:30 and the day packed with activities and "to do" lists. I rushed Jace to a primary activity, and Parker and I headed to Wal-mart to kill an hour till pick up time. I pushed my cart of groceries to our van and loaded Parker's chocolate donut face into his carseat. As I backed out of my parking spot, I could tell something was wrong. I stopped the car and stepped out to see a completely flat tire, so flat I knew I shouldn't drive on it, but having no mechanical inclination, I didn't know what to do. With Parker in my arms, I watched it, hoping it might magically inflate. While I was doing so, 4 people stopped to see if I needed help, and one man, Ole, a hispanic man, apologizing for his broken English, took out his jack and took the tire off my car.
He drove to the tire center, and tried, futilly, to explain the problem. I stepped in, thanking him, and telling him I could take it from here. He insisted on staying with us, (they estimated it would be an hour), to make sure we were taken care of. He said he had no other plans, and that his wife worked at Wal-mart. He would just stay around to make sure we were okay. He passed the time, wandering the aisles, and talking to his wife, while Parker and I played hand games and looked at bikes.
When my tire was finished, he took the tire, in his car, and put it back on my van. I thanked him a million times and wished I could do more than verbally express my appreciation. He told me, "When my wife and I fell on hard times, people were there to help us, so now I do my best to help others."
In a state and country racked with hostile debate over immigration, it's always nice to see the good outcomes of what an ideal system encourages, a country where everyone is here to help each other. Now it's my turn to pass it on...