by Jason Knight
Florida, USA
It was a rainy Wednesday evening not much different from any other. After leaving work, I stopped at the supermarket to pick up the developed pictures I had taken on a cruise a few days ago, then went home.
HeroicStories
The stories of HeroicStories.
Privileged to Help
by The Sassy Texan
Texas, USA
I want everyone to know how my small town reacted to help Hurricane Katrina survivors. We’re an hour outside Houston, three hours from Louisiana. When hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in September 2005, we had no idea it would affect our community.
Unforgotten Sacrifice
by Maddy Jonas
New York, USA
In June of 1993 I had just graduated from Towson State University, outside of Baltimore, Maryland. I got a job waiting tables at a restaurant near the college. Money was tight and the only place I could afford to live was a local motel that rented rooms by the month.
Two-Wheeled Samaritans
By John Craggs
Hants, United Kingdom
It was about 2:00 a.m. and the six-volt lighting on my old motorbike and sidecar was barely coping with the cold, wet darkness. Then I nearly beat into the back of a Mini car parked — unlit — under a flyover bridge. My first reaction was ‘Stupid Idiot!’. I was a 50,000-mile-a-year man back then (much of it at night) and I didn’t suffer fools gladly.
Getting Home
By Susan E. Bunting
Hayward, California, USA
It was a beautiful October day. Unfortunately I had to work late since I had run a training session for my department. I lucked out and got a train right away. I even got a seat. As the train left the Embarcadero station, it picked up speed to go through the tunnel under San Francisco Bay. We shook and shimmied as we sped through the tube, which was a normal ride. Then the lights went out, the train slowed and came to a stop. No worry — BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) occasionally had system problems and Murphy’s Law required that a rush hour trip have some bumps along the way.
A Generous Change of Plans
by Linda Gavitt
Connecticut, USA
In January 1999 planning for my daughter’s wedding began with a phone call telling me she and John would marry in March — leaving little time to plan! Fortunately Lauren wanted a small wedding with 20-30 close friends and relatives. She was in Orlando, Florida, John was stationed in Kentucky, and I was in Connecticut. Her finance’s family generously offered their help to plan everything, and their Tampa area home for the reception.
Following a Hunch
by The Caroler
California, USA
In 1990, as was our family tradition, my husband and I invited children from the local high school aCappella choir, including our son, to sing Christmas Carols to people we felt could use some special Christmas cheer. My husband dressed up as Santa Claus and drove a rented flat bed truck.
The Envelope
by Lisa Swindler
South Carolina, USA
In 1998, a week before Thanksgiving, I took our 10-month-old baby daughter to the doctor for a check-up. The nurse commented how well she looked. Fifteen minutes later we were headed to the hospital emergency room. Ruth’s oxygen level was below 90 and she was having difficulty breathing. It was her fourth hospitalization that year.
The School Bus Driver
By Patty Mooney
California, USA
It’s been many years since I have had to stand on the end of Pusheck Road in Bellwood, a suburb of Chicago, waiting for the school bus, and yet I remember one special day as though it were yesterday.
Bucking the Crowd
by Jeff Simms
Barnegat, New Jersey, USA
It was a nippy Fall day — our favorite kind of weather. It was Saturday and we were going to have a great time. My divorced mother, two younger brothers and I were on our way to the park at the other end of the small Jersey town we lived in. We had our football and makeshift goal posts in the back of the station wagon and our teams already chosen: us against our mother. (Don’t worry, it was only touch football.)