After two months in Florida, a return trip involved flying from Fort Lauderdale to Chicago on a big new plane and then a rickety prop plane back to Lexington.

Don’t even ask me why, but by that time, the temperature had changed from 88 degrees in Florida to 20 degrees in Chicago, and I had no coat. I was ice cold.

When we had to walk to the prop plane in that cold, I thought I would freeze solid.

There was one seat on each side of the aisle, and when I sat down, I couldn’t even get the buckle buckled I was shaking so hard.

Right across the narrow aisle sat a stunning lady. Her clothes were the latest and she was tall and beautiful.

In her hands was a rather fashionable book on motivation and success and a soft leather briefcase. She was obviously somebody.

Atop her black wool suit she wore a truly magnificent fur coat. I don’t believe in fur coats for other people or for myself, but suddenly, this beautiful lady took this coat off reached over and without a word, wrapped it around me like a soft loving blanket.

At first I was speechless. I mean I had never even seen her before, but when I looked into her face, she smiled and said in the most nurturing quiet voice, “You’ll be warm in a minute. Why don’t you take a little nap now?”

And almost instantly I did, but as my body warmed, so did my heart. She was so kind and nurturing, more than anybody I knew.

Somehow, she knew my need both physically and emotionally.

When we landed, she insisted I wear it across the field into the terminal, and when finally I gave it back to her, she kissed my cheek.

Kindness, plain old kindness, but the kind that goes far beyond the capacity most of us would have.

When I first saw her, I thought she had to be someone famous and special. She had the courage and the grace.

I still don’t know who she was, and I don’t know about famous, but let me tell you, she was special. She nurtured when she saw the need. She recognized the cold and she sacrificed her own comfort for the comfort of a stranger. Kindness epitomized. Kindness from the very heart of a woman.

This incident became the center of Thanksgiving for me this year. I pray that each one of you will be touched and warmly wrapped in the same depth of kindness the lovely lady tenderly bestowed upon me.

The view from the mountain is wondrous.

Jean Brody is a passionate animal lover and mother. She previously lived in Winchester, but now resides in Littleton, Colorado. Her column has appeared in The Sun for more than 25 years.