In Bismarck - Literally A "Coat Off A Man's Back" For A Stranger

Happens way more than you think

These are the stories I search for, the ones that instantly make me feel good. It's not about my favorite sports team winning a huge game or an event that is coming to town. This is as real as it gets, and it happens more than you think, especially in Bismarck.

Have you ever seen an expression come to life right in front of your eyes?

Here is what made my day this past weekend, I was just skimming through some posts on Bismarck People Reporting News when I saw this:

"Tonight at South Dan’s I saw a man give the coat off of his back to a homeless man.

Whoever you are sir, you are awesome" Within seconds of reading that, I knew I had to get a hold of who wrote it. His name is Brandon Loftis. He was out minding his own business walking in the Dan's Supermarket South location parking lot when he glanced over and saw two middle-aged men having a conversation. One of them Brandon had recognized as being homeless ( having seen him a couple of times out on the streets asking for spare change ). In a blink of an eye, he would have missed the "casual act of sincere kindness" the other man did, by taking the coat off his back and handing it to him - a handshake later and both men were gone.

"What it means to be human..."

It took Brandon all of about 30 seconds on the phone this afternoon to tell me what he witnessed, but I wanted to know more. "What were your exact thoughts when you saw what happened?" - Without hesitation, he told me he immediately felt "...what it means to be a North Dakotan....What it means to be human" This is the part I love so much, I reminded Brandon that lately Bismarck/Mandan has had some depressing things come about, restaurants and businesses closing for good and some unusual acts of violence. His reply was perfect "I would bet you that this happens MORE than the bad stuff - happens way more than you think". Because the kindness shown to those less fortunate is provided by so many who are humble and need no fanfare whatsoever. That to me is huge. Thank you to those who treat others with mutual respect, like Brandon Loftis.

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Source: In Bismarck – Literally A “Coat Off A Man’s Back” For A Stranger