Stranger Offers Woman a Ride - What Happens Next Changes Their Life

A Friendship Meet-Cute

One day Michelle Ingram was walking home with her children from the grocery store. She didn’t have a car, the load was heavy, and it was raining. Still, she kept putting one foot in front of the other until she noticed an SUV pull up beside her.

Inside was a woman named Pamela Humphries, who insisted Ingram get it. Humphries had seen Ingram walking with her babies, and it brought back painful memories of her own.

“I was a single mom, I didn’t have a car, with two disabled kids. Nothing. I had nothing,” she explained to 12 On Your Side. “We literally moved out with the clothes on our back.”

At first, Humphries was hesitant to get in. She wasn’t used to taking help from anyone, let alone a stranger in a car. But then she thought about it and changed her mind.

“My feet actually hurt and I did actually need the ride,” she explained to the outlet.

An Instant Friendship

As Humphries drove the family home, she and Ingram realized they lived in the same neighborhood. More than that, they lived directly across the street from each other. They struck up an instant friendship that lasted for years — even after Ingram and her family moved to a new apartment.

Two months later, however, Ingram’s life took an unexpected turn. She realized the apartment she and her family were now living in was covered in mold. The living situation was hurting her kids, too. Her eight-year-old has sickle cell anemia, an inherited blood disorder that affects the protein that carries oxygen through the body. The mold affected him the most, and at one point, he needed a blood transfusion.

Alone and unsure where to go next, Ingram was incredibly grateful when Humphries insisted the whole family move in with hers, despite the tight living space.

“Being a part of her family has truly touched me in more ways than one, and I really want her to know what a blessing she’s been to me,” Ingram said.

A Moment of Gratitude

Ingram wanted to do something nice for her friend to show her how much her support meant. So she reached out to the news outlet, which reports on stories of kindness like these and rewards unknowing recipients. Ingram wanted everyone to know that her friend, who is a mother to two kids with special needs and is battling cancer, still makes sure that she looks out for others.

“She’s such a giving person,” Ingram added.

In the video, Ingram counted out $300 for her friend and handed her a gift card to a restaurant. “You deserve to have your flowers, and I want to appreciate you,” she said. "You’re blessed, you’re beautiful, you’re inspiring. Keep on being amazing. I love you.”

When the outlet asked Humphries about her kindness, she responded with a universal message.

"Just be kind to each other,” she said. “Instead of all the conflict and hate in this world, you have to throw out good vibes, and then you get them back.”

Kindness Above All

Humphries' words couldn’t be truer. In life, we don’t always have control over our circumstances, and we certainly don’t have any control over how others behave. But we can control our reactions to certain situations and how we act towards others.

In that sense, the old adage about treating others the way you want to be treated is very true. Lead with kindness and empathy, and eventually, that will come back to you.

We never really know what someone else is going through or why they’re acting a certain way. But by controlling our own actions and behaviors, we can make our corner of the world a better place.