A snowstorm proves that Good Samaritans still exist

In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus shares the story of the Good Samaritan, a man who had no reason to do a good deed for someone but in the end decided to do the right thing simply out of compassion for another human being.

After the recent snowstorm, I am certain of one thing: The Good Samaritan lives today.

As my wife and I sat in our cozy, warm home Sunday morning, watching the snow fall in droves as it piled up on our back deck, our apple trees, covering our landscaping lights and bird feeders, we couldn’t help but marvel in the sheer beauty of the snow as it blanketed the earth.

We also couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer volume as it grew. Depending on who you ask, people will say they haven’t seen snow like this for more than a decade, and others swear it hearkened back to the Blizzard of ’78, something I recall fondly because we got to be off from school for days on end and I can recall burrowing into the piled-up snow, making snow tunnels we could actually crawl through.

Yes, this one was a real doozy, and for snow lovers, it was a real treat to behold as the snow simply refused to stop all day Sunday.

But back to my original point.

I know the Good Samaritan lives today because we had not one but two Good Samaritans stop by to plow our driveway.

The first came Sunday afternoon when our neighbor Alex Kandel motored over on his tractor plow and diligently went to work, clearing off what was probably at that point 6 inches of snow.

The second came the next day.

I was set to try to muscle my way through the second blast of winter’s harshest effort in recent memory.

Alex had generously cleared our driveway; however, the lane leading to our drive remained covered in more than a foot of snow, probably more like 15 inches of the white stuff.

I backed out, drove my vehicle into the heavy snow and didn’t budge.

I wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

I went back inside, and my wife and I went to work with shovels, something that was going to take an eternity even with the aid of her brother Brad.

After toiling for 15 minutes or so, a second Good Samaritan arrived, this one being Giles McCluggage in a 4x4 with a snowplow attachment.

We didn’t know Giles, and he didn’t know us. He simply saw three people struggling to get through a mountain of snow.

In the span of probably eight minutes, he did what would have taken us a couple hours to do — not to mention breaking every bone in our backs.

He did his work cheerfully, without thought of anything in return.

It turns out he lives not far from us and was simply out doing what Good Samaritans do — helping others in need.

We weren’t the first people he had helped escape their snowy encasements that day, nor do I believe we were the last.

And much like everyone else those two gentlemen helped that day, I am certain we were all grateful beyond the simple words of gratitude we offered.

So take a good look on social media today, where people are bashing each other in mountains of hatred, something far worse than the foot-plus mountain of snow that was piled upon us on this snowy weekend.

So many people choose to reach out in hate, all in the name of good intentions, so they think.

Maybe we do live in a world where hate thrives.

But we also know good thrives too, people filled with compassion and love for others enough to go out of their way to lend a hand.

Most of the time these acts of kindness don’t make news, they aren’t seen on social media and they go unnoticed, aside from the people who were blessed by such selfless acts of random kindness.

To Alex, Giles and all the other people who reached out to help neighbors and strangers this wintry weekend, keep doing what you’re doing. Perhaps by spreading kindness one act at a time, we can make an impact that outweighs the vile hatred and despair the world seems so intent on professing right now.

It reminds me of when we were kids back in 1978 and we built igloos and huts from snow, crafting them one brick at a time.

Good Samaritans do still exist and are more important than ever since the world seems filled with so many people like the three men who left the wounded traveler beaten and left in a ditch, passing by without a thought of helping despite their self-absorbed importance in society.

Maybe that is how this world needs to heal, one brick of kindness at a time.