Strangers...

It's been said that strangers are simply friends we've not yet met. I have always believed that. My Mom instilled in me that people matter more than things and that every one has a story if you slow down long enough to hear it. So here's my story.

A couple of weeks ago I was working in Buffalo, New York. Since Emily's graduation ceremony was Thursday evening, I scheduled a flight home on Wednesday evening to make sure there were no problems getting home on time.

My flight was cancelled. And with the tornadoes tearing up the midwest, it looked like I would miss Emily's graduation ceremony.

I'll fast forward a bit.

I didn't miss her graduation. Nearly 24 hours after this began, I got home, just two hours before the ceremony.

Emily's graduation was beautiful. We had a wonderful time and I alternated between crying and laughing most of the evening. I still can't believe that little girl is a high school graduate!

This story, however, isn't about that. It's about a stranger I met while in travel limbo.

Right after I found out my flight was canceled I found a corner of the airport where I could charge my cell phone and started looking for another flight home. After a few minutes a young man walked up to one of the nearby pay phones (remember those) and made a phone call. He asked me if I could watch the phone for a few minutes because the hold time was going to be long and he needed to find a place to buy a calling card.

His name was Matt (cool, huh?), was 17, from Canada and was trying to get to Kansas City (go Chiefs!). He had no cell phone, only Canadian money and had never travelled alone. While we were both on hold we chatted about him going to University of Kansas in the fall and his girlfriend that lived in Kansas.

He was just a little younger than Emily, and for traveling alone for the first time, was amazingly calm. He kept reassuring me that I would not miss her ceremony. It took more than a few hours for us both to find new flights the following day.

I believe that because Matt was a minor the airline comped him a hotel room across the street. It had two beds and he offered to let me stay the night. It amounted to being just a few hours of shut-eye, but it was just what I needed.

This young man, Matt, helped me keep my head on straight that night. I will remember his kindness for many years. I know nothing else about him