Ordinarily, I would not consider myself a damsel in distress.
In fact, my parents made it a point to raise me to be the opposite.
They taught me to be self-reliant, taking care of all of my responsibilities myself.
Despite my having older brothers, my parents still taught me how to do things that daughters usually were not taught, such as the proper way to dig post holes, putting shingles on a roof and fixing certain electronics.
However, I found myself on the side of a highway in Winona the other day with the staff writer of our newspaper, LaKeadra Coffey, trying to figure out how to properly use a new gas can and put gas into her empty tank.
Just when I thought I had figured it out, three men we did not know stopped and asked if we needed help.
Decades of my being reminded to do it myself subsided to LaKeadra’s humble willingness to accept help – even from strangers.
The prior knowledge of using that type of gas can made the task of putting gas into the car quick and easy for them, but the engine still would not start.
Rather than leaving us sitting there with a car and continuing with their day, two of the men – more accurately, gentlemen -- volunteered to stay with us while the third left to retrieve booster cables.
After he returned, they boosted off the car and graciously waited for us to pull into the road to drive away.
LaKeadra and I told the men, “Thank you,” but sometimes the mere words just don’t feel like enough when someone goes out of their way to help.
Jaheim Robinson, Fredrick Woods and Marqueze Branch with the Winona Street Department did not have to stop and ask if we needed help. They did not have to put the gas into the car. They did not have to wait with us before boosting the car. But they did with impressively and unforgettably positive attitudes, kind eyes and kind spirits.
I would like to share our deepest appreciation to Jaheim Robinson, Fredrick Woods and Marqueze Branch and to Winona Police Chief Roshaun Daniels and Assistant Chief Calvin Young who also went out of their way to provide us with a gas can.
Thank you for reminding us that despite all the negativity in the world and the societal downward spiral that there are still good people in the world – right here in our community.
