Six years back, my middle daughter felt 11 months pregnant with her first child.  As Lyon County Deputy District Attorney, she served several small, rural cities in Nevada and jailing bad guys required traveling the backroads.  As a perk, the county provided her retired patrol cars, so essentially, she was driving the law enforcement version of a ranch pickup minus the cracked windshield, rifle-rack and bale spinner.  One hot July afternoon, her squad car blew a tire.  Because she was a ranch kid, this wasn’t her first flat, so she pulled off the road to change the tire.  With the jack in place and the lug nuts loosened, she strained to free the spare tire.  She quickly discovered, the fleshy spare tire she felt strapped to her belly hindered reaching the real one hidden in the trunk.  A passing motorist spotted her struggle and stopped to lend a hand.  The nicest man I will never know, changed her tire and the only way I can ever thank that gentleman is to pay his kindness forward.

 A couple years ago on New Year’s Day, the trophy wife and I were motoring home after a weekend in Wyoming.  North of Lodge Grass we spotted a pickup parked along the highway with its hood up.  At first, I thought the driver was a young lady, but discovered a teenage boy wearing a fur hat with shoulder length ear flaps.  I asked if they needed help and they mentioned they had a small fuel problem; they had none.  The younger of the two boys asked for a lift to his house in Lodge Grass where he could get another car and a gas can.  He hopped in the back seat of my crew cab and sincerely thanked me for the ride.  I really didn’t do much, but I did what I could and this brings me to my point.

 Montana is on fire and Texas is underwater and the loss of life and property is devastating.  On the bright side, social media is filled with heartwarming stories and video clips of strangers helping strangers; a stark contrast to the images recently fed us from Charlottesville.  Compassion for others shows the innate generosity God has placed in the soul of mankind and helping others brings glory to Him.  When the water has dried and the snow has smothered the flames, evil forces will again to attempt to divide us.  Never forget we are all Americans serving but one king—King Jesus.