Little Journeys

The other day I had an interesting marshrutka ride.
First off, let me explain what a marchrutka is. Marshrutkas are the most common form of public transportation here in Ukraine at this moment in time. They are vans (not mini) or small buses, usually with room to seat 10-20 and standing for the same. And usually we manage to fill them to capacity. It's amazing how often there just "isn't" room for one more person to get on, but like the waters parting for Moses people are always able to make room for the person who is getting off!
Anyway, they are a jouncy bouncy form of transportation and sometimes I wonder if the whole aim of the drivers isn't to see how many people they can make fall over by the sudden stopping and starting. That said, they are generally quick and I am grateful for them because I remember when there was no such transportation and it meant a lot more walking and a lot longer waits!
In the past people also used to be much more polite on public transportation and would generally stand up for small children, pregnant women and elderly people. Now geeeeeennnnerally, people will stand up for pregnant women and people with very small children/infants, but the elderly are really getting shafted! :( People also used to get up for you if you were particularly heavy laden or they would offer to hold your bags on their lap (I was more than once the surprised recipient of bags on my lap!), but this has gone the way of most of the courtesies.
Back to the point...I had gone grocery shopping and was well loaded down (probably 12-15kg, which isn't a lot over a short distance, but try hanging on in a marshrutka...). I had to wait for my marshrutka for several minutes because there is only one from that area that goes to my area of town. By the time it came, my arms were tired and I was hoping for a seat, even though I knew that it was a slim chance. Didn't get one, but the lady I stood in front of offered to hold my most heavy bag on her lap! I was SO grateful.
So we go jerkily along and about halfway to my stop we stop and this man gets up to go out, but doesn't move, just stand there and stands there. I realized that he was having trouble getting his wallet out of his pocket and that he was drunk. I don't think he ever did get his wallet out, but the driver let him off without paying after waiting for several minutes for him to try to get it out.
The lady who held my bag ended up getting off at my stop and was very kind as to forge the path before me to the door (it can be quite a challenge, more than once I've felt like I was going to lose a limb squeezing through people), and even waited and made sure that I got off all right!
I was so grateful to God for that woman. She made my day, and several days since then. She was so kind I wondered if she was a Christian. In any case I know that God used her to bless me and remind me that He is still looking out for me. Praise Him!