A change of oil; a change of heart

Rebecca DeMars found kindness in a most unlikely place.

Her story begins with an oil change.

DeMars, a Carroll senior, will graduate in the winter with degrees in philosophy and Catholic studies. Next stop: Graduate school to study law and theology.

DeMars drives her mom’s hand-me-down car, a 2009 Honda Odyssey. During her senior year over Christmas break, DeMars decided it was time for an oil change.

She took her car to her automotive store of choice, Grease Monkey in Kalispell, Montana.

While waiting to be served, she could see seven middle-aged men working on the other cars. They looked to be hard-working men; the type who would enjoy a cold beer after a long day in the shop.

One of the mechanics helped DeMars schedule an appointment and took the keys.

“While I waited for them to finish, I got an unexpected call from my mom,” said DeMars. “She told me that my grandpa was admitted to the hospital for heart complications.”

The news upset DeMars who was close to her grandpa.

“This isn’t the first time he’s gone to the hospital,” she said. “Whenever things like this happen, it only stresses me out.”

DeMars’ immediate reaction was to get back into her car and drive to the hospital. She needed more information about her grandpa. Unfortunately, she had to wait for the car to be ready.

Roughly 45 minutes later she retrieved her keys and frantically jumped into her car. In her hurry DeMars nearly missed what was sitting on the dashboard.

Two carnations – one yellow, the other pink.

Before starting her car, she had to pause and think. She wondered if they had been there all along.

Rather than being caught up thinking about her grandpa, her mind was more focused on the flowers while driving home; it gave her a sense of peace.

“I wouldn’t have thought of these guys as being that kind,” said DeMars. “But hey, maybe I need to give more credit to the people I least expect.”

We can only assume that these men gave a flower or two to each of their customers, or perhaps only for the ladies coming in with their cars.

DeMars didn’t see this as an accident. She believes the flowers came to the right person, at just the right time.

“Why don’t people do small stuff like this more often?” said DeMars, “A small gesture can go a long way.”

DeMars saw these flowers as proof of the goodness that is found in every person.

From the outside it is easy to make assumptions about other people based on their appearance, job, or attitude. But we know we ought to look deeper – to see them, to understand them.

“I kept wondering if the mechanics got word about my grandpa somehow, but that doesn’t make sense. I don’t know who would’ve told them,” said DeMars. “Random acts of kindness like this really do make a difference. I’ll try to be more conscious about how my actions affect other people in the future.”