Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Express Lane

Tonight, Lynda and Hannah went to the grocery story after dinner to . . . um . . . pick up some groceries. And, as you do, she crossed paths with a father and child as they wandered up and down the aisles. Hannah and the daughter said hello to each other as they saw each other again and again on each successive aisle. And that might have been the end of it, just a few moments of courtesy and child-like innocence during the mundane tasks of every day.

But, they met again at the check out lanes, and the man was in line first. His cart was unloaded, the clerk was scanning the items, things were proceeding to a close. At this moment, the father discovered that he has forgotten his wallet. Suddenly the last 45 minutes was wasted; all of the items would be moved and restocked; what could be done?

Lynda immediately offered to pay for his groceries, to help him out and prevent the crisis. The man reacted with a bit of shock, as did the store clerk. They asked again . . . are you sure you want to do this? Again, Lynda agreed to pay for his groceries. So, in gratitude, the man and Lynda exchanged contact information. He promised to send a check for the amount. Lynda paid, and the man and his daughter went on their way, unburdened from their problem with a brief act of kindness and charity.

These are the sort of things that don't happen enough. These are the sort of things that we should all try to do for each other. To make the world a nicer place with happier people, look for opportunities to do good things. Small things are sometimes the most meaningful of all.

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