I like to write humorous stories, but today there's a story I can't get out of my head. It's a bittersweet story that, thankfully, not many of us can relate to.

Two of my friends got divorced about a year ago. Neither of us saw it coming. It just happened, and since he moved to another city after the divorce, I lost touch with him. I really missed him, so my smile went from ear to tear when I ran into him this morning. He looked thinner and older, but somehow stronger. I asked him how he was doing, and he told me that he had moved to one of the areas that was hit by the flood and had a very moving story to tell.

That afternoon, a heavy rain had caught him driving his van on the road. The rain was so heavy that the van and many other vehicles were stranded. The first part of the nightmare lasted no less than six hours, but the second part was even worse. There was brown water everywhere, and he prayed that the van wouldn't stop. Luckily, it didn't, but on the way home, he passed next to a stopped car with two small children sitting on its roof. They were soaked to the bone and scared to death, alone.

My friend got out of the van and swam to them against the current. The youngest immediately clung to him.

"Hang on!" my friend said to the older one, "I'll get your brother in the van and be right back to get you!"

The boy nodded obediently in anticipation of my friend's return.

Once the three of them were in the van, my friend asked them who was in the car with them. The older one said it was his grandfather, but he was so emotional that he could hardly speak. The water had swept the man away as he tried to save his grandchildren.

As I listened to my friend recount this harrowing experience, I realized that courage often appears in the most unexpected places. We may lose touch with people over time, but their actions can remind us of the strength and goodness that still exist in the world. Hats off to the courageous.