Every year I try to go home for Christmas. I try to see all my family through out the United States. This article is about what happened on three days before Christmas. I live in Illinois and my family lived in Pennsylvania. I was traveling through Ohio when I decided to stop at a rest stop for a quick bite to eat and relax my legs from sitting so long. As I was walking to get out of the cold and inside the rest stop something caught my eye’s and ear’s. It was a young woman who looked no older then 26. Now when people see a young woman in a rest stop with no family or friends around that is just asking for trouble. I thought to myself that I should just keep walking. But to see someone crying and shivering with a light jacket on and on a interstate, I knew something bad has happen.
I stood there for a moment and watched her for about ten minutes. People kept going back and forth and not once looked at this young lady. So I decided to cautiously walk up to her. When I got close enough I asked her if she was OK. She looked up at me and said in a very soft voice. “why do you want to know, how come you did not ignore me like all these other people have?” I told her that I have daughter’s of my own and if my daughter was in a truck stop shaking and scared that I would hope someone in a kind way would help them.
She started to look down and did not say anything for a few minutes, I waited about 5 more minutes to talk to her and if she did not answer I was going to leave and call the state police. Just as I was getting ready to walk away she asked me to wait. I stopped and turned around and sat about 2 tables away from her.
She asked me to come to her table and that she was not going to do anything. As I sat there she looked up at me and asked me, have I ever lost anyone close to me. Someone I cared about my whole life. I replied to her and told her yes I have. She then started to look down at her feet and stopped again from talking. Another few minutes went by and she then again looked up at me. I looked at her and asked if there was anything I can do or help her in anyway. I was shocked with her response. She started telling me that 6 months earlier her husband and baby daughter was moving to New Jersey for better work. She told me that her husband fell asleep at the wheel and along with her daughter was killed on the interstate from a accident. Now I must remind the readers that the accident happened 6 months prior of me seeing her in the truck stop. I looked at her and asked her if she has been at the truck stop the whole time. She looked up again and shook her head no, she said a friend who took her in after the accident decided she was to pay rent, she had no money so he abused her instead as payment. And she had him arrested. And then had no where to go but live under the bridges along the highway.
I asked how did she get to the truck stop, the young woman told me that a Ohio state trooper dropped her off at the truck stop. She told me that the trooper told her that he could only take her to the state line and that is far as he can go. I asked her where her family was she said her parent’s passed away three years prior. And that she could not find out where her brother and sister lived, they were older then her and the family lost contact with each other over the three years She had no idea where they lived. About
a hour has passed and I had to start driving to get to my hometown. I looked at her and offered a ride to give her to New Jersey. She was hesitant at first and then said I was the only person in the last four days asked her to help her.
I told her that she was willing to ride with me, and I will be glad to take her anywhere she needed to go. She got up and grabbed her bag and agreed to come with me. About 2 hour’s later and into the state of Pennsylvania, she woke up from sleeping and looked ten times better then she did when I first seen her. She looked over at me and started asking questions about me. We talked so much that I did not realize i was almost out of fuel, the next truck stop was not for about 15 miles. I kept driving and hoping that I would not run out of fuel. Finally getting to a gas station and filled my tank I opened the door and asked if she wanted anything and that i would be glad to get it for her, all she wanted was a cup of coffee. I told her she might want to stretch and then we can start driving again. About 30 miles from where I needed to get off the interstate I told my family lives in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
As we kept driving she told me I can let her go anywhere downtown. I told her my parents house was not that far from town and that they can offer her a warm bed and shower and then I will be glad to take her
to town. When she saw that we were in the area she told me about all kinds of friends and cousins and aunts that lived in the area. But never really knew them very well. I told her that might be the best way and let her get a good nights rest and then start looking the next morning. So about 10 miles away I called my parents and told them I was almost home and that I was not alone. My stepmother told me it was fine that she came in. As I pulled into my parent’s driveway, she looked very worried. i told her to relax and that my father is a pastor of church here in Pennsylvania.
As we go up to the door my dad came out and helped me with my bag’s. As they were getting ready to make dinner , the young woman was shown a room, and about a minute we heard the shower going. My stepmother was really excited to have family in the home again. About an hour later she came down in a robe that my parents gave her and I could not believe it was the same person.
We sat at the dinner table and she started to open up to my parents about the horrible crash that ended her husband and child. My father looked at her and asked her what was the name of the family member’s that lived in the area. When she told him I seen this really weird look into my father’s eye’s. As if someone just came out of the blue and told him something that he knew. My father got up and walked to the phone and dialed out. He looked at her and asked are you Michelle? She looked up and said yes and wanted to know why. To find out that Michelle’s aunt goes to my father’s church. We all looked at each other as if we just found that ancient clue to history.
About ten minutes later we heard a knock on the door and there was her Aunt looking at her and she started crying. Tears of joy came to her face. She looked at Michelle and said we found finally found you.
Out of all the people in the country and no one helping her it came down to know that her mother’s side of the family goes to my father’s church. As we were talking I told the aunt that at that time I was not really going to stop at that truck stop but was going to keep driving. My father told me that at that moment of time at the truck stop he said a prayer to keep me safe and bring me home. Prayed to show me the ways that god wants. Well with this young lady and her family I guess it was his choosing to bring this young woman home..
This is a true story, and till this day I will never forget that I saved a woman’s life 3 days before Christmas.