If this doesn't make you believe in angels, nothing will!

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When I was a child growing up back in Iowa, we lived next to the train tracks on the edge of town. I met a lot of people who rode the rails and became friends with a few of them. One gentleman I met still stands out in my memory and I doubt I will ever forget him. When we first met, he seemed like every other hobo I had ever seen: raggedy trousers, dusty, ripped and soiled jacket, worn out shoes, and a leathery, but likeable face. He said he couldn't recall where he'd originally came from, but seemed like he was from somewhere in the south. Said he'd served in the army, but couldn't recall just when or where. Couldn't remember if he had any family or not and wasn't sure just how long he'd been riding the rails. When I asked him where he was going, he just smiled and said "I'll know when I get there, son." This old timer did not seem crazy to me, in fact he was quite intelligent. He carried some kind of a musical instrument in his knap sack and pulled it out to play for me. The sounds he produced sounded like a chorus of angels! I had never heard anything like it and probably never will. Of course, this is coming from the memory of an impressionable young boy, and it seems to get more beautiful every time I retell this tale, which isn't often because most people don't believe me. Well, to make a long story short, I ended up inviting him home for supper. He reluctantly agreed, saying he didn't want to be a burden on anybody. My parents thought I was crazy but didn't want to embarrass the old timer or me, so they let him stay for what was probably the only home-cooked meal he'd had in years. When supper was over, I walked the old timer back to the train which seemed to be waiting for him on the tracks. As he was pulling himself up on the boxcar, I recall telling him it was nice to meet him and I hoped we would meet again someday. He looked over his shoulder and said, "Don't you worry, young man. We will. We definitely will". I stood and waited as the train pulled out and waved goodbye until I couldn't see the train any longer. As I stood there, I kept wondering what he meant by "We definitely will". As the years rolled past, I often thought of this old man and wondered what had become of him. His music filled my dreams for years to come, and sometimes still does. About ten years after this brief encounter, and his face had nearly been erased from my memory, I was working as a waiter at a local restaurant. It was my first job out of high school and things were rough living on my own. I had no car, barely making the rent, and eating only while I was at work. One day an elderly, but very elegantly dressed man walked through the door of the restaurant. It was probably my imagination, but as he passed the sun-filled window, it appeared as if a halo appeared above his head! For one brief instant I thought it was the old man from the train years before! Then it was gone; I realized that the old man from the train was probably long since passed on. As fate would have it, he requested to be seated in my section of the restaurant. This was odd in myself, as anyone who had been in before would NEVER had asked to sit in my section. So, as I served him, the day at the train yard kept replaying in my mind. After he had finished his meal, he got up and left the restaurant. When I went to clear his table, I noticed that he had not left a tip, which really bothered me because I desperately needed the money. Just as I was about to start complaining to myself, the hostess approached me and handed me an envelope. She said "the old man who just left asked me to give this to you and to tell you thank you for treating him well when he had nobody. He said you'd know what that means." Dumbfounded, I opened the envelope. Inside there was a simple inscription. It read: "I finally got there, and this is for you." Also inside the envelope was the title to a brand new 1983 Monte Carlo and $500 CASH! Rushing to the door, I ran outside and in the employees parking area was a white Monte Carlo! The old man was nowhere to be seen. I drove that car for the next ten years, and only parted with it when it started to have major problems and I could afford to purchase a new vehicle. I don't know where that old man is today, but I figure he'd be in his 90s or older. But wherever he is, I hope he knows how much he changed my life that day.