09/06/2026
I want to give a BIG appreciation shoutout to a wonderful local Libby couple whose kindness meant more to me than they will probably ever realize.
For almost a week, I had been trying to coordinate buying a shop vac from them. They were kind enough to drive about 30 minutes into town to meet me and make things easier with my hectic work schedule. Unfortunately, that same day I had a family medical emergency and completely spaced our meeting. They waited for me and eventually had to move on with their day, I didn’t even see their message until the following day.
I felt terrible. But instead of being frustrated or rude (which they had every right to be) they responded with nothing but understanding and compassion and were willing to give me a second chance.
So this time, I arranged to pick it up at their home because I certainly wasn’t going to ask them to go out of their way for me again.
And, low and behold, life decided I apparently needed one more curveball.
On my way there, I got an emergency call from my daughter back in Tennessee. She was rushing our 12-year family fur baby to the emergency vet. Scared, panicked, and not knowing what the vet was going to tell her, she did what daughters do when the world suddenly feels too big….she called her mama 🥰.
By the time I arrived at this couple’s home, I had no regular cell service. I only had my T-Mobile satellite connection, which allowed me to receive messages but not make the calls I desperately needed to make.
These people didn’t know me from Adam. They had already gone out of their way for me once, been stood up because of circumstances they knew nothing about, and now here I was showing up at their home in the middle of another family crisis; none of that mattered to them.
They saw someone who needed help, and without hesitation, they helped me connect to their Starlink so I could call my daughter and be there for her while she faced something scary hundreds of miles away.
It may sound like a small gesture to some people, but to me, in that moment, it was anything but small.
Life has thrown a lot at me lately, and there are days when the stress, anxiety, responsibilities, and worry can make everything feel heavier than it really is. Tonight, two people who owed me absolutely nothing but somehow they still reminded me to look beyond all of that and appreciate the good that is still happening around me.
They reminded me that kindness still exists. That good people are everywhere. And sometimes, the smallest act of compassion can lift a burden from someone’s shoulders that you never even knew they were carrying.
There is good and bad in every community, but tonight reminded me just how grateful I am to be part of this one.
I won’t share their names because I don’t want to put them on the spot. I’ll simply say they are two Libby locals with hearts as big as the Montana skies.
So tomorrow, when you’re grocery shopping, running errands, or simply passing someone on the street, give them a smile or a soft “hello.” It may only take five seconds of your day, but you never know what that person is carrying, or how long they may hold onto that moment much longer than the 5 seconds it took for you to notice them…
Tonight, that couple reminded me that even when life feels overwhelmingly heavy, and almost unbearable there is still so much good worth noticing.
And I’m incredibly grateful they crossed my path. ❤️
Thank you to the shop vac family for being there in that right moment. If you need anything just send me a private message so I can continue giving back to this amazing and beautiful community we call Libby.
Many Blessings,
MAID to PAINT
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