By Mary Faith Bell
This is an uplifting story about community, friendship, faith, and the kindness of strangers. Yesterday, at the Tillamook County Fair, I was walking with a friend out to her vehicle, and it wasn’t where she thought she had parked. It is a large grassy field parking area between the fairgrounds and the college, packed with people in town for the fair and the Friday night concert with the band Collective Soul. We walked around in big loops, up one row and down another looking for her vehicle. It was a warm, sunny afternoon, perfect weather, I didn’t have to be anywhere for a couple of hours, and I was happy to accompany my friend on her quest.
We passed many people in our ambles, including a man sitting in the grass next to his vehicle, having a snack. I noticed his friendly interest in us after we had passed him a few times and I thought, what a good idea to bring your own food to the fair and take a quiet break in the sunshine.
After an hour or so we got in my truck and I drove her up and down the rows, exploring the far reaches of the lot. Folks from the Tillamook County Transportation District were working in the parking area, including Brian Vitulli, general manager, and David McCall, who serves on the transportation district board. They were driving tractors, pulling open carriages for transporting guests. I flagged them down and asked them to keep an eye out for my friend’s vehicle. Now several people were looking and thoughtfully texting me for updates.
After an hour and a half, I was afraid that I was going to run out of time to help my friend, because I was scheduled to work in a fair booth at 6 p.m. I prayed to St. Anthony to help us find her vehicle. Now, for people who are unaware, Catholics believe saints can intercede on behalf of petitioners, and the saints have specialties. St. Anthony is the patron saint of lost items.
Shortly thereafter we passed the man in the field whom I mentioned before, and he asked about our progress. I told him we were still looking. He asked for the description of my friend’s vehicle, and said that he would look, too, and he loped off in a different direction.
Ten or fifteen minutes later we were still driving around, and the same man flagged us down and said, I found it! He found my friend’s vehicle in a different lot, on the other side of the fairgrounds. He said that he thought it must be in another lot. We parked, and he walked us to her vehicle. On our way there I told him, “You are literally an answered prayer.”
I explained St. Anthony in brief, knowing that the concept might be foreign to non-Catholics, and told him that I had just prayed to St. Anthony, and I believed that Saint Anthony had worked through him to find my friend’s vehicle. He nodded, and said, I am Catholic, too.
My friend found her vehicle, I got to my shift on time, and my faith in humanity and community and St. Anthony was renewed. Thanks to Steve for demonstrating the kindness of strangers.
