We received a letter to the editor this week thanking a Fernie family for their kindness. The family stopped on the highway to help a couple from Tennessee who were having car troubles. But their kindness didn’t stop there. The couple went as far as loaning their own car out, connecting their trailer to water and electricity and arranging transportation to drive them to Whitefish, Montana. In their thank you letter, the couple thanked the Fernie family for being Good Samaritans.
This got me thinking of the term Good Samaritan and what makes an individual qualify for that kind of recognition. Sure it is easy enough to hold a door for somebody or to say please and thank you when you’re interacting with another person, but how many of us would pull over on the side of a highway and offer shelter to a complete stranger? How many of us would lend our car out to a complete stranger? I’d like to think that I would be kind enough to do something like this, but the truth of the matter is, I don’t know if I would be.
I’ve seen cars pulled over on the highway time after time and I continue to drive on without offering my assistance. I always think to myself, they’ve probably already called BCAA or they’ve probably already gotten a hold of a family member or friend. But , I don’t know this for sure.
This past week, I locked my keys in my truck. I called a friend to help me out but my phone died before I could tell her where I was. While I was stranded, no one offered their assistance, and although my friend ended up finding me after around an hour, it really got me thinking. What if some of those people stranded on the side of the highway had no cell phone reception or if, like me, they didn’t charge their phone before leaving for the day? What if those people are just sitting in their cars, praying that someone will be as kind as this Fernie family was and pull over to offer theM assistance?
The letter definitely got me thinking about what I can do to help others in need. For me, after hearing this heart-warming story, I don’t think that holding a door or saying please and thank you is enough sometimes, especially not when you have a family like this one that is willing to give so much to help out complete strangers.
Next time I see a stranger pulled over on the highway, I plan to take the time to stop and offer my assistance. Even if they don’t need it, at least I will know that I did everything I could to offer a helping hand to complete strangers.