According to an article on CNN’s website, a stranger bought a woman’s foreclosed home and gave it back to her during an auction. Why did she do this? The answer is simple, yet difficult for many to grasp: The act was one of pure kindness.

The home, located in Pottsboro, Texas, had become too much of a financial burden for Tracy Orr, who had lost her job just a month after taking out the mortgage. The stranger, Marilyn Mock, decided to buy the house for Orr after striking up a conversation with her before the auction. They have planned to create a flexible re-payment plan, and Mock has been given permission by her new friend Orr to use the fishing facilities at the home anytime she likes.

We live in a world where an act like this is so rare that when it does occur, it warrants media attention. What causes such reluctancy to help another human being? It is the fear of trusting a stranger. Since we were children, our parents drilled the saying into our heads: Don’t talk to strangers. You never know who’s safe and who can harm.

But, should this mindset always be the case? In a back alleyway in the dead of night, sure. But, situations with strangers don’t always occur in these cliche settings. Some strangers are simply humans who need a helping hand.

Others would say there’s no way to tell the difference between the two, and they argue that it’s better to be safe than sorry. I say people should make their own judgments about whether or not a stranger is trustworthy. It does not always end in disaster like our parents so repeatedly warned. Sometimes the end results of one person’s actions toward a stranger are miraculous enough to make headlines. More importantly, they’re miraculous enough to change lives. Mock not only gained a fishing spot but a new close friend and a humble feeling of accomplishment. She took a train wreck in someone’s life and set it back on the tracks. Second chances like that don’t come out of chance… they come from ordinary people like you and me making extraordinarily kind decisions.