Sunday, September 19, 2010

Strangers


Yesterday Raymond and I drove to Hershey from Pittsburgh to attend an RV show.  While traveling along the PA Turnpike, we made a stop at one of the service areas.  I decided to get something to eat and was standing in line behind a group of six gentlemen who were discussing what they each would be ordering.

One of the guys said, "No, I don't want anything. I have all those cookies in the car."

Ever the busybody, I said, mockingly, "Young man! that is no kind of lunch! Cookies, indeed!"

He laughed and one of his buddies told me, "You tell him. He can't just eat cookies."

The fellow laughed and said to me, "They're really good cookies. Homemade. Chocolate chip."

My turn to laugh, as I asked, "can I ride with you guys?" And answered my own question by pulling out my car keys and saying, "Wait. I'm the driver, so that won't work."

We all went on to place our orders and I waited for Raymond to return from his personal sojourn. We got our sandwich and  fries and were headed out  through the parking lot to our car. I noticed a bronze colored mini van pull up to the edge of the parking area, but paid little attention to the occupants. 

The sun was shining, the air was clear and perfectly crisp. I was enjoying the conversation with Raymond. 

I had passed by the mini van and was headed to our car when I heard a horn beep. I looked around and saw someone motioning to me from the van window.  I ambled over to the van and one of the passengers leaned forward from the back seat toward the driver's window, with a ziplock bag in his hand. The bag was filled with homemade chocolate chip cookies! It was the guys from inside the rest stop. They had stopped to offer Raymond and me cookies.  I took one and thanked them for their kindness. They told me to take one from my husband, too, but I explained that he doesn't eat cookies, which they accepted without question.

Then they drove away and beeped good bye.

I was stunned by such kindness. 

Since Raymond had missed the interaction while I was standing online, I explained what had happened.  He told me I should've taken one for him and I could've had two.

Somehow that just didn't seem like the right thing to do. 

I know sharing their cookies isn't on a par with saving the world, or even a portion of it, but it went a long way toward improving how I looked at my fellow travelers and touched me deeply.

Have you ever experienced a seemingly disproportionate reaction to some stranger's act of kindness?  


And even though the context may not fit, it made me think of Hebrews 13:2.


"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." (NASV)

1 comment:

  1. This just proves the more cookies you eat, the "sweeter" you get :-D

    *goes to open another bag of biscuits*

    teee heee :-D

    ReplyDelete