Traveling alone along a busy turnpike in unfamiliar territory I wasn't prepared for the barrage of green signs that suddenly confronted me. How to decide quickly which exit? Which route number? North? East?
Feeling Jost and forlorn, I pulled out of the traffic onto the shoulder and unfolded my map. A minute or so later a kindly-looking, white-haired gentleman appeared at my window. "I noticed you were studying a map," he said, "and I wondered if I might be of help."
I told him where I wanted to go, and to my great relief, he cleared up my confusion and directed me to the correct exit. Then with a nod and a wave, he said, "The Lord be with you as you go" and returned to his van.
As I drove off I realized belatedly what my husband would say when I told him: "You know about crime on the roads today, the car-jacking. You should have had your door locked and your window closed."
And he'd be right of course. I would remember to be more cautious in the future. But for now I was no longer lost and unhappy, my day was bright again because a present-day good Samaritan had taken time along the way to help a stranger.
