‘This kindness made my heart sing’: Allentown woman tells of being stranded on D&L Trail
The Morning Call |
Oct 23, 2020 at 8:00 AM
I’m glad many people enjoyed my recent column about a man whose lost wallet was returned by a Good Samaritan before he even knew it was lost.
The man, Brian Lehman of New Tripoli, paid it forward by donating to a homeless shelter.
“All of these ‘little’ unknown acts of human civility in respecting each other is what keeps us together,” one reader told me.
“Thanks so much for the uplifting article. We need to see more of those,” said another.
I have two more, sent to me by readers who wanted to keep the good vibes flowing.
An act of kindness on D&L Trail
One came from Mary Lou Scarf of Allentown.
She was riding her bike recently on the D&L Trail to Slatington. She rides the trail a lot, usually with her husband and friends, but this time was by herself. On her trip back, she got a flat tire, about four miles from the trailhead where she had parked.
Within a minute, three cyclists on their way to Northampton stopped to help.
“Like a NASCAR pit crew, one guy flipped my bike over, took off the tire and inner tube and began to look for the puncture. Another guy had a pump and patch kit, and the third guy had an extra (brand new) inner tube that would fit my bike.
"A fourth biker stopped to help; he had a better pump, he said. They quickly decided to use the new inner tube, reassembled the tire and pumped it up.
"The three guys from Northampton, Pete, Lenny and Frank, rode with me to my car to make sure that the tire did not go flat again. Pete would not accept my plea to pay him for the new inner tube that he gave me,” Scarf told me in an email.
“In these very trying times, this simple act of kindness made my heart sing,” she said.
‘There is still goodness in the world’
The second feel-good story came from Nancy McAtee of Bethlehem Township, who said she “wanted to share my story about kindness.”
She was on her way to a hospital for a test when she realized her wallet wasn’t in her purse.
In her mind, she retraced her steps from the previous day. She had run three errands, including at the Dollar Tree in Bethlehem.
“I remembered I had the exact change to pay the bill — $11.07. I must have left it there,” she thought.
There was about $40 cash in the wallet, but McAtee was more worried about her driver’s license, insurance card and other items that would be a pain to replace.
“As soon as I left the hospital I drove straight to the dollar store, praying all the way there. I asked to speak with a manager. She was very nice and said she did not work the day before, and I explained my problem.
"She went to a locked office, went in and stuck her head out, asked me what it looked like. I described it and she stuck her hand out holding my wallet!”
“I had tears in my eyes,” McAtee told me in an email. “I said I would have given a reward but didn’t know who to thank. Might have been the cashier or customer after me. I was so very grateful and prayed more thanks on the way home.
"There is still goodness in the world for sure!”
Don’t let all of the divisiveness that’s dominating the headlines put you down. Rest assured that there still are plenty of people looking out for each other and trying to lift each other up.
It’s important that we hear those stories, too. I hope that sharing them will inspire even more.
Morning Call columnist Paul Muschick can be reached at 484-280-2909 or paul.muschick@mcall.com
