Random Acts of Kindness

I am told that people are evil, ok maybe not evil but self-centered and always expecting something in return. This story restored my hope in mankind and made me want to be a better person. This is a true story by the way and it just happened last night.
I was driving with a friend (she was driving I was in the passenger seat) to Target so she could get a print cartrige. It had started snowing (the first snow the year) and though there was not a lot of snow on the ground, the roads were starting to slick up. We did not realize just how bad things were until we turned on to a main road and hit a patch of ice. We were already going slowly so we didn't really skid, but my friend had a hard time getting traction so that she could go again. She was very nervous and noticed a car in front of us was having the same problem. So she put on her hazards and tried to think of how we would proceed.

As she was thinking of how to handle the situation a young man (prob. about my age) came and told us if we wanted better traction we should aim for the shoulder where snow was still shielding the ice. He offered to help us after he helped the car in front of us. By the time he had helped them we were already on our way, so we waved our thanks and kept on going. A few feet later, we started skidding towards the side of the road again. Once again everyone was inching along so we just kind of pulled over to the side but did not know how to proceed from there without assistance. Out of nowhere the guy from before pulls up next to us and asks us if we need help, we say we do. He starts to pull over to the side of the road but another car skids in to his. It is a minor accident since one car was standing still and the other going only about five miles an hour but still it is an accident. We are still stuck on the side of the road but doubt that he is going to help us when he is dealing with his own car now. So we watch as he exchanges words with the other driver (both seeming to understand that it was no ones fault). As we are thinking of who we can call for advice, we see him running towards our car. As if nothing had just happened he coaches us off the ice as he pushes from the side of our car. How awesomely amazing is this guy. When we are free to go, he runs back to his car before we can ask him his name or anything. My friend really wanted to get his number so we could properly thank him but in this weather we are not sure what stalling would do. Reluctantly but carefully we drive on, finding the safest way to go home with out going to Target.

This man had no reason to stop on a freezing cold snowy night. He had no reason to help out two strangers when he was stuck driving in this mess also. He had even less reason to stop and help after his car had been hit due to the ice. We got home safely and he prob. got stuck in the freezing cold waiting for the police to come to the crash scene. He got nothing out of helping us out. He could not have expected anything in return as we will never see him again.

He is a lesson to all of us. How many times in our own lives (I am talking to myself here too) do we pass up opportunities to help others out when we really have no excuse. We are not busy, it would not hurt us at all but we are just not in the mood. So we make up an excuse and we let some one else handle it. Sometimes we even do this when we might get a reward but we don't' think the reward is worth the effort. This guy had so many excuses and no reward and he jumped at the chance to help people in need. This was major mussar for me and major inspiration. I just wish we could find him and thank him in some small way for the big chessed he did.