My heart was not where it was supposed to be. It was sitting deep in my stomach as the level of panic was rising in my throat. I had looked everywhere and could not find the tickets.
The day of the show came and went without any members of the Phillips family in attendance. I’m not sure what we did that day, but whatever it was, it had nothing to do with dancing ponies.
My daughter is 11 now, but I guarantee she still remembers that her momma’s super organizational skills had once been a little too precise. I’ll probably offer to pay for her therapy someday.
Camille Baer, from Lake Park, Minn., was about to have a similar experience, until the kindness of a stranger became the ticket to turning it all around.
“I had purchased tickets for the Shania Twain concert in Fargo on Sept. 21. I bought two tickets for $164, one for myself and one for my son. I bought them in the handicapped section as our son is mentally handicapped and has epilepsy. I lost the tickets about a week before the concert. I did not give up looking for them every day in hopes of finding them.
“On the day of the concert, I realized I would have to go buy two more tickets. If it was just myself going, I would have forgotten about buying more tickets, but I knew how important this was to my son. He was anxiously looking forward to the concert, and even took a page out of the September calendar and crossed out each day till the concert.
“As I was standing in line at the Fargodome to buy two more tickets, a woman got in line behind me. When it was my turn, I asked the teller if she had any more tickets available in the handicapped section. The woman behind me said to me, ‘Did you say you need tickets in the handicapped section?’ I told her yes, and she said she bought two tickets online and bought them in the handicapped section by mistake. She said I could have them at no cost, she was happy to give them to me.
“She told me her sister had passed away from a rare brain disorder and that her sister loved to go to concerts. She knew her sister would be happy knowing my son got the tickets.
“After some tears and hugs, I realized what a gift I had received. I’m excited to pay it forward with another act of kindness.”
Thanks for sharing your story, Camille. I am so glad you and your son got to share a special evening with Shania that was made even sweeter with a stranger’s kindness.
In case you were wondering, I did find the “My Little Pony” tickets. They were in my purse the whole time.
Please continue to share your stories of kindness with me at info@nicolejphillips.com. Or send a letter to Kindness is Contagious c/o Nicole J. Phillips, The Forum, 101 5th St. N., Box 2020, Fargo, ND 58107.
Nicole J. Phillips is a former television anchor for Fox News in Fargo. She is a writer, speaker and mother of three kids. Nicole is married to Ohio University’s men’s head basketball coach Saul Phillips. Her column runs every Saturday. You can visit Nicole at nicolejphillips.com.
