'Where did you three Angels come from?': Stranded motorist grateful for kindness of strangers

A Halifax motorist who found herself stranded on a busy road during the height of Monday's snowstorm says she's grateful to the three or four strangers who gave her a push.

The nor'easter caused a host of problems in a wide swath of the region.

After a winter largely without snow, the gridlock that ensued in Halifax during the evening commute was probably predictable, although infuriating for many drivers.

The busy Kearney Lake Road was largely blocked by a number of vehicles that couldn't make the hill because of slippery conditions.

That's when several drivers jumped out of their own vehicles to push others out and help clear the backlog.

They also enlisted the help of at least one passing pedestrian.

"I would thank them sincerely from the bottom of my heart for being so selfless," said Kate Sullivan, one of the motorists who was stranded.

"Getting out in the middle of a storm, and helping somebody up the street, to literally get out of the ditch. I mean, it was amazing," Sullivan said.

Mortified about blocking a lane, Sullivan had already waited half an hour for a tow truck that never came.

When she got home, she posted a “thank you” note to Facebook, and quickly accumulated hundreds of “likes.”

"People relate to that 'feeling good,'" Sullivan said. "My faith in humankind was restored last night. Honestly, I did break down crying -- tears of joy -- because I would have been sitting there for God knows how long."

Experts say acts of generosity often wind up benefitting everyone involved.

"It's very well established that random acts of kindness make us feel better," registered psychologist Dayna Lee-Baggley told CTV News.

"The small little moments in life can make life enjoyable. We want to celebrate every win and savour every moment you can because life is uncertain and there is a lot more stress, and so we do want to be intentional about noticing those good moments to savour," said Lee-Baggley.

Meantime, the charity We Are Young was celebrating a significant act of kindness on Valentines Day: the successful distribution of 1,269 deliveries to seniors all over Nova Scotia.

The organization partnered with Rousseau Chocolatier to include treats with every package.

"We realize through the work we do every day that a small act of kindness truly makes a world of difference in the lives of seniors," said the group's co-founder Katie Mahoney, who noted the organization is accepting nominations again to grant wishes to seniors all over Atlantic Canada

Meantime, Kate Sullivan is still marvelling at the unexpected help she got, noting all she really got to say to them was, "Where did you three Angels come from?"

Sullivan wishes she'd had time to thank them properly and hopes they'll come forward.

A reminder from a beneficiary, that we can all use a little push sometimes, to be kind.