A Small Fire

A friend had invited me to dinner at his new house. Right before I was due to arrive, he tried out the gas fireplace, which caused the insulation in the attic to ignite. When I got there, the roof was in flames, four fire engines were at work, and there were people standing around, watching. My friend found me and started explaining that dinner had been ruined. A bystander, a woman with a teenage daughter, heard him and said, “My daughter and I were on our way to dinner. We have two gift certificates to the restaurant we were going to use, but we want you to have them now. God bless.” My friend and I were so touched we couldn’t thank her properly before she left. Her generosity and real concern for strangers made two people much happier.