Stories of Kindness from Around the World

On my first visit to India with my partner, Barry, we met a really nice woman on the plane who was flying from Canada to India to move back with her family in Chennai. Talking with Uma, a dentist, who had been trained in England, made the long flight from the US go by much faster.

When we arrived in Chennai, we learned that our bags had somehow not made the trip with our plane. As we filled out the missing luggage forms, we couldn't help noticing the mountain of unclaimed baggage in a corner of the terminal. Would we ever see our belongings again? This was not an auspicious beginning to our 6-week trip.

It was now 4 a.m. Saturday morning. The officials had told us there was no point in checking to see if our bags had arrived until Monday. What should we do next? As we stood there wondering, Uma came over. Learning of our predicament, she said, "Our driver will soon be here to pick me up. Come home with me."

We exited the terminal and entered the steamy early morning scene outside. A throng of people awaited their loved ones, calling their names and gathering them into warm embraces as they reconnected. Within minutes, Uma said, "There's our car!" We piled into the small sedan, already crowded with family members who had come to welcome Uma home. 

At the house, we showered and rested and Uma's family took us in as though we had known one another forever. They fed us delicious Indian meals, took us on tours of their city, brought us to their favorite temples and a chapel high on a hill overlooking the city, dedicated to St. Thomas. On Monday morning, their driver brought us to the airport, where we were happy to find our bags, safe and sound.

The next year, we returned to India and our first stop was to visit Uma and her family, who have become lifelong friends. What a gift her kindness was. In my very first moments on Indian soil, I learned an incredible lesson about the soul of the Indian people.

Uma's friendship to two strangers with different-colored skin began a trip of a lifetime. Everywhere we went, we encountered the warm, generous spirit of the Indian people. Uma had begun a chain reaction that we did our best to pass on wherever we went.