The Kindness of Strangers

Yesterday Katie and I went to HyVee to get our groceries. The floral department always has balloons for the kids to take with them. Katie got her purple balloon and was playing with it when we were leaving the store. I was trying to hold on to her and the shopping cart so neither would get away from me. Well, the balloon got away from her. It is one that they blow up with air then put it on a stick. It came off the stick and Katie started to go after it. It was next to a car, but when she got to it, it went under the care and lodged between the engine and the ground. I didn't want her going under the car and told her that it was gone and we would just have to get another one another time. She was not happy with this and started crying. Then, out of nowhere, a man came over and said "I'll get it for her." Before I could object he was down on the cold parking lot shimmying under this car to get a balloon for a little girl he didn't even know. I just about broke into tears thanking him. All the change and keys and stuff fell out of his pocket and he just went deeper under this car to get the balloon. He made my daughter's day. He renewed my faith in humanity. He must have been a grandpa.