Organized religion.

The combination of church and state.

I'm a middle-aged father that works hard and keeps my family together. We don't miss meals or rent, barely. But, when I leave in the morning and I'm alone on the drive I cry and scream and wail at the stress. I'm scared. We're one bad thing away from doom. But, I make it my mission to project confidence and safety to my family. They're oblivious. I'm okay by the time I get home every night. I cook and help out and spend time with them.

I took my kids on family vacation to the beach, and my car was kinda acting up the entire time. I had a 2010 Chevy Traverese, and it kept not wanting to start, but I jumped it and started heading home after a week of babying it.

Anyway, I was in Ocean shores, headed back to central WA, about 6 hours away. As I head through Olympia, the car just gives up and dies. So I pull off to the side of the road, and a big truck pulling a camper pulls up behind me. He said he could jump me, and he did. Car started and was doing great. About 15 minutes later, I hear a loud thunk, and car dies, this time permanently. So I pull over. About 20 minutes go by, and again, the same trunk pulls over. I am at this point 5 hours away from home. Guy said, "we'll look like it's done for, but if you tell me where you live, I can take you most of the way. I tell him my city, and he laughs, and says Me too!. I asked what street he lives on, and apparently, he lived four houses down. So I packed what I could into his camper, and he took me, my wife, and three kids home. I made sure to thank him and every Thanksgiving and Christmas brought him either a turkey or a ham, for my appreciation.

Well, several years later and divorced. I meet my current girlfriend. My Tahoe needed the wheel bearings replaced and I was so busy, I had no time to do it myself. Especially working 80 some hours a week at times. So I wanted to pay someone for it. She tells me her dad has a friend and he would do it fairly reasonably if I buy parts. So I do, and she takes me to his shop. Same dude that helped me years ago. I get out of the car and give him a big hug. Tell him I would pay whatever he wants and left my Tahoe there. I ended up also giving him a gift card to a fancy local restaurant for his trouble.

About 6 months later, I was trying to pull out a cat from under a car in a smoldering hot parking lot as it was stray and very tiny, and the temps were over 110 degrees on black top. So I chased this kitten right under a truck, and the driver waiting for his wife steps out, there he is again.

Every time I have needed help innthe past few years, it seems like he is always there. Dude might be Jesus or something. Not like I lived in a crazy small town. Over 400k people in my city. I have went 30 years without running into people that visit the same places I do.