A Chance Encounter at a Gas Station Helped a Young Woman Find Safety and a New Beginning

was quiet, practiced, deeply ingrained. The more she explained, the more it became clear she felt she wasn’t allowed to accept even the smallest kindness.

She told me she usually put in only what little change she had, just enough to get home. It was then that something in me shifted. After decades on the road, I’ve learned to recognize when someone continue reading …