A Friend Along The Way
 

A FRIEND ALONG THE WAY
by Patricia Bessey

The wind howled as Kathy buckled in. With a prayer for her defrosters, she shifted into drive and left for home.

The loneliness of the highway, combined with the stress of helping out her newly divorced sister, made her feel empty and bleak. Christmas was coming, but no one in her home felt like celebrating.

Realizing her wipers were collecting snow rather than pushing it away, she pulled over. With no traffic coming she slipped out the door. One wiper down and one to go, she hurried to the passenger side when something caught her attention.

In the distance was a glowing snowman. It was the plastic type you'd find in a department store. Kathy couldn't make out a single house or structure of any kind. That makes no sense, she thought as she looked back. A smiling snowman glimmered back through the swirling snow.

Every night for the next month it greeted her. A glowing red heart replaced it. A shamrock followed, and by April, an enormous basket-carrying bunny arrived.

The Friday before Easter, she pulled over and walked to where the bunny stood. Reaching the statue, a bright orange electrical cord was visible twisting towards a cluster of houses ahead.

Knowing she could follow the cord to the house where the mysterious decorator lived, she pulled out a note, folded and sealed inside a plastic bag. She taped it to the back of the bunny, smiled and walked back to her car.

Her note said this:
"What may seem like a small gesture to you has meant more
than you will ever know. You brighten my ride home and
give me the opportunity to think about something other
than my problems. You have proven the smallest of actions
can make the largest impact. I don't know your reason for
what you are doing, but thank you very much."

-- Patricia Bessey