The Liberty Bell May No Longer Ring But Philadelphia’s Brotherly Love Lives On!

The picture is worth a thousand words! I have had many requests to re-post this, so here it is friends! Yes, you have my permission to have a good laugh on me!

Philadelphia is truly the city of brotherly love and I can attest to that fact. I am a stay at home mom with four children, who lives on the Main Line. I was attending a conference, for three very long days and evenings in Philadelphia, last week. Each time I attempted to find a parking garage or my car, I became frustrated and confused. I felt like a child who was being spun around with a blindfold and then told to locate the rear end of the donkey and pin on the tail. While this may not make sense to those of you who have a sense of direction or a GPS, it certainly makes sense to me because I possess neither.

When the conference ended one evening at about 9:00 PM, I headed for the lot that I thought contained my car. My car wasn’t there. As I made square circles around and around the city streets, my scary saga began. It was dark and I was becoming acutely aware of my lacking navigational skills and the growing number of Philadelphia’s after dark people and their activities. Before I reached panic mode, I went for help.

I walked into one of Philadelphia’s many historical buildings and met George, working behind a desk. I told him, “I can’t find my garage.”  George saw my bewilderment and sweet man that he is, offered to walk with me and find it. Because I had been around the buildings so many times in the past few days, my perception of what was familiar and the north-south and east-west concepts had evaporated. George and I walked and walked and the more questions that George asked me, the more puzzled I got! I looked at my watch. It was almost 10:30 PM.

When George suggested that we seek the help of someone named Juan, I knew I was in big trouble. George introduced me to Juan. Juan asked me questions that were similar to the ones that George had asked me earlier. When I told him that I had left my parking ticket in my car along with my pepper spray, he donned his stocking cap and coat. He told me that he would help me find the elusive lot and my car.

Juan and I began another journey around the city, with stops that included each and every garage in the area. We finally got to the entrance of a garage that maybe, just maybe, looked familiar. I could not remember from which day or which trip around the block, I had seen it. Hopeful and guilty for having taken so much of his time, I thanked Juan and headed up to the 3^rd floor, where I was bowled over because my car wasn’t to be seen. Since I knew that Juan had left, my anxiety level sky rocketed for the umpteenth time. I looked at my watch. It was after midnight.

I went back to the street level and I was astounded to find Juan leaning against a pole, waiting for me. “Not the right lot?” he asked. “Nope,” I said and off we went again. I was experiencing total brain freeze by then and just walked along with Juan like a dog walks on a leash with his master. As I walked, I realized that I had reached the end of my rope, or leash as more appropriately stated.

I realized that my thoughts were filled with an appreciation for having encountered these men. As I replayed the events of the evening, I realized that I had met two angels. They weren’t very successful angels at that point but they were still angels. Ultimately, Juan did find my garage. This time he went with me to the third floor, “just in case.” I think he was afraid that I would keel over, if my car and I weren’t reunited soon. When we got off on the third floor, what to my wondering eyes did appear, but my big black Suburban which, extinguished, my fear. I thanked and hugged my new best friend for all of his help. Just like George, Juan refused to accept a tip.

These two men exuded the exceptional qualities that define our city’s “Brotherly Love.” They were truly angels to me that night and I will never forget their kindness. As I got in my car and made a few more wrong turns and went back around, one last time, a thought came to me. “What goes around, comes around” and around and around and around! I love hearing about “Philadelphia’s Brotherly Love” but it means so much more to me now because I experienced it first hand. George and Juan are testimony to the fact that “Philadelphians” are caring, kind and generous people.

In case you are wondering about the picture. A few days later, I met George and Juan in Philadelphia to have lunch, a laugh and get a photo by the Liberty Bell.