Random acts of kindness tend to stick with us

What is love but an act of kindness?

Sometimes it's unexpected, sometimes comes from a stranger and it doesn't always come on Valentine's Day.

For generations, couples have been sharing romantic dinners, exchanging cards, jewelry and flowers on Feb. 14. Ask them if any one of those day sticks out in their minds and they may remember one or two.

But ask them if they remember the random kindness a friend or a stranger gave them and they will - vividly.

"I remember when my house burned in the 1970s," said Elgin resident Barbara Mulliken. "My friends came over and took all of our clothes to wash and dry clean. They were dirty, wet and smelled scorched. But they made sure my family had clean clothes to wear.

"I'll never forget what a help that was."

Even though, the Good Samaritans didn't expect anything in return, they did receive Mulliken's endless gratitude.

That same gratitude went to a taxi cab owner who lent Mark Ferguson a car so he could go to a job he started more than 36 years ago.

"I had just started a part-time job at (United Parcel Service) and my car broke down. I didn't have any other way to get to work and I was afraid I was going to get fired for not showing up," the Geneva resident said. "I was young.

"I knew this man who had a Checker cab. I didn't know him well, but he let me borrow it so I could drive the 10 miles to work. Here's this guy who trusted a total stranger with his cab. I stayed at that job for 36 years and I'll always remember that. Don't asked me what I got for Christmas last year, but I remember that guy with his cab."

East Dundee resident Dan Sobczyk is the same way.

Last summer, he was stranded in Lake Geneva after the classic car he drove there wouldn't start.

"I went into a motorcycle shop and asked the owner where the nearest gas station was. I was driving a 1965 Corvair convertible and I had a feeling I was out of gas," he said. "He called his father and asked me to take me to the nearest gas station.

"He even supplied the gas can."

"The car was out of gas and after I bought some and put it in the tank, the car started.

"I offered to pay him for his trouble, but he refused to take any money," Sobczyk said. "He told me to just pass on the good deed."