We all have ups and downs. Some periods in our lives may be plagued with extremely difficult events, and this is something mother of four Tawny Nelson from Florida knows first-hand.
When Tawny’s ex left the family, things became very challenging for the young mom. The mother of four beautiful young girls suddenly found herself alone with her daughters aged 9, 5, 2 and 6 weeks.
Needless to say, it was no easy feat. Between raising and caring for her four daughters, the mother also faced the issue of their family truck that was constantly giving her problems, making it difficult to get around.
“Things had been absolutely awful. More so than I care to explain,” she wrote on Facebook.
Tawny tried to avoid using the truck as much as possible as it had several mechanical issues with it.
“My truck had a flat I constantly had to air up. The driver side window motor died. I needed a new alternator belt. We didn’t drive anywhere unless we had to,” she explained on Facebook.
But one rainy day, she desperately needed to get to the supermarket to buy food and supplies.
She grabbed her four girls and they headed to a Winn Dixie store located about 9 blocks away. By the time they arrived, it was already dark and it was pouring heavily.
Stuck in a Lot
But after loading the kids and groceries into the truck, things suddenly took a dark turn. The truck wouldn’t start — and Tawny and her four young daughters found themselves stranded at night in the pouring rain.
She tried desperately to start the car, but to no avail. To make matters worse, her cell phone was disconnected.
“One of my girls as accidentally left a light on. My battery was dead. I have no family to speak of and was on my own,” she wrote on Facebook.
It was a nightmarish situation for the desperate young mother of four. She tried to get other drivers’ attention and begged for help, but drivers simply ignored them and drove away.
“I must have asked more than twenty people in the course of two hours for a jump. They all ignored me. Not even a no. Just acted like i didn’t exist,” she wrote.
An Unlikely Hero
Things went for bad for worse for Tawny, as her children gradually began to break down.
“My 5 year old was melting down. My newborn SCREAMING, my two year old crying she was hungry, and my oldest desperately trying to help. I was bawling and felt like the worst mom ever,” she wrote.
But just as everyone began to break down, Tawny heard a knock on her window — and there stood an elderly man with a bad limp.
The 74-year-old man handed Tawny a plate of chicken strips and biscuits from a deli nearby as well as some bottles of water.
“‘Feed those babies and yourself young lady,'” he told her. “I have a tow truck on the way and my wife will be here shortly to take y’all home.”
The man’s wife soon arrived as did the tow truck, and Tawny and her children were at last back home, safe and sound.
But as if that were not enough, the very next morning, the man reappeared at Tawny’s home — with a mechanic who replaced her truck battery and alternator — and even fixed the broken window.
Unexpected Gift
The elderly gentleman then left and did not return. But when Tawny asked the mechanic what she owed him and whether she could pay in instalments, he smiled and told her the elderly man had already settled the bill.
“He said that the only payment the older man wanted was for me to never give up and keep being an amazing mom,” Tawny writes.
“I’ve never cried so hard in my life. And without knowing us or our situation this kind man helped us in ways he will never know. What he did revived my faith when I was falling apart. But he wouldn’t even take a hug.”
“I’ll never be able to thank him. But I certainly hope one day I can do what he did for me for someone else.”
You can read Tawny’s original post below:
What a wonderful story of compassion and kindness. Angels show up when we least expect them! Please share to thank this angelic stranger for all he did for Tawny and her daughters.
