The Kindness of Strangers

"Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers. " Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire.

The people of Biloxi have the pride, hope, determination, and will to depend upon themselves but be gracious and grateful for the help of strangers. We as a work crew find that we are the grateful recipients of generosity, too. It's a God Thing.

Cassandra has an incredible story to tell, when she has a spare moment. But here's another one that just occurred a few moments ago.

Paul had just dropped by here at McDonald's (the closest Wi Fi spot when Java Joe's is closed) to bring me a power cord [note to Anna: I love your husband, too; I had forgotten the power cord and he made a special trip to bring it to me], and he mentioned in passing that he was on the way to deliver a flat tire to be repaired, as one of the crew vans had just had a blowout. Sitting at a table within earshot was Mr. Allen Johnson, propietor of a flat-fixing shop. He politely interjected that he could take the tire with him, fix it, and bring it back to us.

The Midwesterner in me immediately thanked him, but the hesitancy from Paul reminded me that I'm not in Kansas (okay, well, Missouri) anymore, so we elicited a few more details from Allen before agreeing that this is a generous offer. I asked him if he took AAA, and he looked a little incredulous before saying "Why, ma'am, I wouldn't charge for that." [We ladies get "ma'amed a lot down here; I love it, knowing that it is a sign of respect and good manners, but some of the Yankee ladies on the team say it makes them feel old.]