My True Story

Hi Everyone--this is my entry for Friday's inspirational story...Before you leave today, please look on the right to see the fun link party for next week.

When I was 19 years old, I had an experience I have remembered for a long time. It was the Friday night after Valentine’s Day. I went to visit a family who lived in a town quite far from my house in southern California. I had never been there before.

We visited for a few hours and when I left, I didn’t realize it but I took a wrong turn. I went miles and miles in the dark up a deserted mountain road in the Angeles National Forest. But, you see, even though I was lost, I thought I was headed in the right direction.

After driving for a long time, I started to get really scared. It was completely desolate. There were no houses, no buildings, no lights--nothing. That is when I realized that I must have gone the wrong direction. There were no cell phones in those days either. I was driving a little Toyota stick-shift.

After driving for a long time in the dark, I caught the outline of a young fellow. My headlights were on him as I began to round a curve. I stopped the car. He said he needed a ride. He got into my car. I told him I was lost and needed to find my way home. He had blue, blue eyes. He said that his father’s office was a few miles away, so we drove.

Finally, we came to an empty building. There were no houses or other buildings anywhere in sight. We went inside. There was a large map on the wall. I told him where I lived. He showed me the location of where I was, where my house was in relation to it, and how to get there.

I felt so relieved. He walked me outside. I thanked him, walked a few steps to my car, and he disappeared into thin air. I got in the car, found my way home, and got there safely.

Now, I know what you must be thinking...How could I let a stranger in my car? Well, I was lost and desperate. I was so far up on that mountain, I could not even see any city lights. Angeles NationaI Forest covers approximately 650,000 acres.

I consider myself lucky. Very lucky. But, I have always wondered who he could have been. I would have returned later to thank him (in the daylight) but I had no way of knowing where the office was located. All these years later, I feel that he was put on my path to help me find my way home. There is only one other detail I remember about him. His name was Chris.