Roadside Angels

Guest post by my mother Bertha Miller (1924-2021), and used in Purpose magazine in 2009.

“During retirement, our home also served as a small bed-and-breakfast. My husband, Vernon, also operated a modest carpentry business since he could no longer farm. In our garage he loved making wooden doll houses, toy barns, and other wood projects.  

To advertise, we erected a large heavy sign on the corner of two busy roads in Elkhart County, Indiana.

We made the sign ourselves years earlier. It worked well as our main advertising tool. Then a storm blew it down, breaking off its heavy wooden posts.

In his high 80s, Vernon was diabetic and mostly wheelchair bound—but he puttered around in our yard working from either his wheelchair or our riding lawn mower, taking care of flower beds, dwarf orchard trees, and shrubs.

Even though it was hot in the middle of summer, my husband insisted the sign had to go back up, as soon as possible, or we’d lose business.

Vernon was as stubborn as a dog on a leash following an interesting scent. So nothing would derail him from trying to fix that sign ourselves, alone, without asking for help.

All of our tools for that job were old fashioned: a manual post-hole digger and a shovel. The temperature was 85 – 90 the day we went out, and sweat poured form my husband’s body as he began to dig. I knew the exertion would make Vernon’s blood sugar plummet, but I hadn’t thought to bring candy or anything to drink for him. We only lived a quarter mile away and I had ridden my bike and Vernon had attached the digger and shovel to his lawn mower.

I knew we couldn’t do the job alone but who would take time to stop on busy State Road 19 to help us old folks? Old folks who should have known better, right?

Then out of nowhere came this couple, young and strong. They stepped out of their car. They seemed to be in no hurry whatsoever. The husband saw what was needed, grabbed the digger and dug two deep holes in no time. And I, sensing an opportunity to get Dad some sweets, pedaled home for water and candy for Vernon as fast as I could go.

The couple stayed long enough to get the sign set up and make sure it was in those holes, deep and secure.

My faith in humanity was restored. We wanted to pay them, but they just said, “Give it to your church.” Then they turned to their car and left.

Were these people angels to help two elderly folks living near a state highway?

Whether celestial or human, they were angels to us.” 

By Bertha Miller published 2009. She gleefully accepted payment from Purpose magazine, which is no longer published.

***

Mom died in October of 2021 and Dad died in 2006. We miss them both. We will try to be angels whenever we can!

Did you or your parents or grandparents make mistakes?

Take risks you didn’t approve of?

Did you ever have someone help you out and then quickly disappear?