Sitting outside the Kroger grocery in Mishawaka, Indiana at 5 p.m. on Monday. So off my charted course and below my target miles. Long day on the road with a flat tire and stretched chain that needed to be replaced and now it was pouring.
But I was dry and under shelter and finally getting food and a man walks up and says, “Got everything you need?”
It was John Reisdorf – Mishawaka 3rd district city councilman John Reisdorf, and he ended up being a good guy and a savior.
“The last elected official that helped me with this tour was the mayor in Salisbury, New Brunswick,” I said. “He let me spend the night in the council chambers and the fire department rolled out a cot for me to sleep on.”
“Well, we can’t be outdone by New Brunswick,” said John, reaching for his keys.
“Take this, it’s to an apartment I own and there will be nobody there and you
can safely spend the night,” he said.
Just so kind. I notified my team back home, laid out the circumstances and then said, “Let’s run a background check.”
Everybody worries about my safety and so do I, but John came through with flying colors: Republican, 49 years old, City resident for the last 20 years, sports announcer for high school games for 10+ years. Well-known in the community and well-liked and his daughter was valedictorian in her 2013 high school graduating class.
I found the apartment easily enough and it all seemed to good to be true….and then it got better. John and his daughter Maggie stopped to visit; we even stepped out for a bit to tour the town.
By the way, we took Maggie’s car.
Their kindness put the cherry on top of the day and it reiterates the message about how many good people are out there.