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Editor: On Friday, April 4, my mother-in-law, Mrs. Dorothy Nelson of Hillsboro, and I decided to go to Mayville on a day trip.

Her car was running well and we had no reason to expect it to break down on the way home that afternoon. But as we left Mayville about 5 p.m., the car broke down about one and a half miles east of Mayville on Hwy. 200. I pulled it off the road, opened the hood and could find no problem. I decided to walk back to Mayville and see if Finley Motors was still open.

I didn’t even start walking before a man came by and offered to take me back to Mayville and find help. Finley Motors was just closing up but told me they would get the car towed the next day and repair it. I was worried about getting my mother-in-law home to Hillsboro, so the man at Finley Motors told me to use one of his cars on the lot as a loaner. This man knew nothing about me except that I was in a bind and needed help. We took the offer of the loaner and made it home safe and sound.

The following day, Finley called and told me that our car was fixed and he would drive it to Hillsboro for us. When he arrived, I was astonished at how well he had repaired the car and was astounded that he would accept no pay for the loaner car he had let us use.

He said, “This is North Dakota. This is how we help our friends and neighbors.”

It has been so long ago that people felt that way, that I had almost forgotten that this is truly the way to live. Trust, honesty, helping others. These values seem to be alive and well here in Traill County. May it ever be so.

I know that if I want to go for a walk at two in the morning, I have little to fear. Our police really do patrol, and watch our town and its citizens. Ok, so it gets a little cold sometimes. So what! The warmth of the people here in Traill County more than make up for it. I feel blessed to live here. Though, I’m not from these parts, I can’t imagine living anywhere else.

Thanks to folks like Finley Motors, Dale’s Food Pride, Mike’s Repair, the Legion, the law enforcement agencies, Hillsboro Development, and so many more that as a group make our area what it is — a wonderful place to live.

Harold D. Bodden

235 Kiwanis Dr.

Hillsboro