jen has picked up a challenge that kristi threw down yesterday. i have a wonderful story to share. i know there are a lot of you cruising by amuse-bouche today to check for an spt challenge, and i hope you will be inspired to share your stories, too. take a moment to post your own random acts of kindness. thank you jen for taking this idea and running with it!! we have not ever *met* in the blogosphere before, but our circles are definitely intertwined!!
several weeks ago, my son, jack (6 y.o.) and i were in line at my least favorite store in the world. it was typically crowded and understaffed. we had wasted too much time in the store already, and we just wanted to get home and eat dinner.
in front of us was a very sweet woman. she looked to be in her 80s or so, and we had passed her in several aisles as she was working through her shopping list. after standing in two lines that weren't moving, jack and i ended up behind her.
the contents of her cart were simple: coffee filters, fruit, tomato sauce. nothing outlandish. as the cashier began to ring her up, i heard her mention that she couldn't go over $18.
her total was close to $25. the people in line around us were antsy. heck, I was antsy!! she asked the cashier to hold on to her things, and she would run home and get some more money. she was so sweet. i didn't even think twice before i offered to pay the difference.
jack was mystified! why would we pay for someone else's food?!? what a wonderful way to teach a child!! the woman was astonished! she wanted me to wait. she would come back and bring me money. i wouldn't think of it. she said, "i have never had anyone do this for me. i've done it for others, but no one has ever done this for me. how can i repay you?" i told her to put the $7 in her collection at church, or to give it to someone else who might need it.
was it by chance that i eneded up in her line? that i was able to help her out? that my son was with me to soak it all up? random? i can't say. this woman has obviously lived a life of delivering "random acts of kindness." maybe this was just her time to receive. i'm glad i was behind her.
16 comments:
That is a wonderful story. It is great that Jack was there to witness it. I love these stories also because they hopefully touch the people who were standing around you. And they might do something similar in the future. It can have a huge ripple effect that we will never be aware of.
I Love it!! That is a great story!! Thanks for the mention in your post! I hope I can do the Random Acts justice.
Thanks for being the first!
I love it. Jack will remember that forever!
I'm so bad a misreading things. I thought jenmomof4 said, 'I hope I can do Random Acts of Justice'. Eeek! I thought she was going a bit Charles Bronson-y!
*phew*
Must have a calming cup of tea now, and put a proper reading head on! Sorry Jen!
Awesome story, and what a great way to show kindness for everyone to see, including your son. He will remember this.
Thanks for sharing.
Lelly,
I love reading your blog.. You are truely amazing... I'm so glad your audit went so well, and it's nice to see that you recognize you have an excellent crew to work with. I'm sure you made that women's day... In this day & age it's amazing to find someone who cares for others..It seems few take time anymore to help, whether it be let someone cross the cross walk, wish someone a nice day... Way to go.!!!!!
That's a great story and definitely not random. It's wonderful that Jack was there to witness that. It's interesting that she was that old and had done that sort of thing for other people, but that no one had done it for her YET. Good job!
Thank you for sharing. What a joy to just spontaneously give. Glad your son saw it, next time it may be him giving a little extra.
That is just awesome! I love that Jack was with your, it makes the RAK even more fun. That kind of thin just tickles me.
You took advantage of a great opportunity! You could have easily gotten frustrated and cranky,which hurts your mood more than anyoe else's, but you made it such a positive and uplifting experience! THANKS for sharing! It's a nice reminder that we create the kind of lives we are living by our thoughts, feelings, and acts! :)
This is the kind of story I love. I love that you generously offered and made that lady feel so good. yay!
What a wonderful experience. I loved reading it. Good for you for seeing a chance to help someone and taking it!
I don't think it was random, because how could random feel so good? Things just come together so perfectly in those situations that it can't be happenstance.
This is a great story, Lelly. It's sad that nothing like that had happened to an old woman before, so glad you could turn things around for her! It's amazing, really, how sometimes such small things can really have an impact on others (including the impatient people behind you in line!). A great experience for Jack, too.
Love that story!
this story is touching and giving me the chillies!
thanks for taking the time to type this up - this is exactly what makes me want to do this more.
Now, that's what I call random. How sweet of you, and what a blessing you were to that lady--and to all the other people behind you in line!
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