Good Samaritans are still among us

So today mom told me a story that makes you feel good about people. This is the story as I heard it:

Kyndra was in Santaquin for a few weeks visiting her family and yesterday she flew home to Florida.  She had a lay over in Dallis.  When she got to Dallis, her flight was canceled due to weather conditions.  She was going to have to wait until the next morning to leave Dallis.  She was flying with her baby, and it was just the two of them. She had only expected to have a one hour layover, so she only had a backpack with her.  It contained a few diapers, and some formula.  She only had $10.00 cash and a debit card.

She called home when she found out what was happening, and Terri sent her some money through Western Union, but when she went to the Western Union counter, it was closed.  She was standing there wondering what she should do when someone spoke behind her.  "Young mother", he said, "are you stranded?"  She answered, "Yes."

He said, "Come with me."
He took her to the airline counter and had the girl use the computer to print out a voucher that he had for a hotel room.  He said for her to take the voucher and call the hotel shuttle to come and pick her up.  He said that once when he was a young, single father, that he had been stranded like she was, and that he had decided that when he had the chance, he would help someone in a similar situation.  Then he asked if she had enough money to buy the baby diapers and formula, and he gave her $20.

Kyndra thanked him, and then she tried to call the hotel number he had given her, but she couldn't get through to the hotel.  The phone kept getting picked up by an answering machine.

9:00 at night she was still in the airport, and she heard a voice behind her again.  "Are you still here?"  It was the same pilot.  He took her back over to the airport counter and called a Motel 8 that the airport shuttle ran to.  He got her a room reserved and went and put her on the shuttle and told her to go and get some rest.

When she got to the Motel, Kyndra was the last one off the shuttle because she had to have help getting the babies stroller off.  When she walked into the lobby there was a long line at the check in counter from all the people who had just arrived on the shuttle.  A man in the front of the line saw Kyndra and called her from the front of the line, young mother, come and take my place in line, I will take your place.  Then the others in line said, no, she could just go first and they would all move back.

Then next morning, Kyndra got up early to try to get back to the airport.  The same shuttle driver was there taking another shuttle back to the airport.  He saw her and asked if she needed to get back to the airport.  She said yes.  He told her that the shuttle was full, but that he had saved her a seat.  She ran and got a muffin for the baby and got on the shuttle.

From the airport she called Landon to tell him her arrival time.  She had not been able to find diapers or formula, but she had enough to make the flight.  She told him to bring a diaper and a bottle to the airport.  He asked his Sergeant if he could have time to pick up his wife at the airport, and got special permission to go.

Overall, a pretty good day for human kindness in the USA I'd say.