Special Treatment!

Late on a rainy Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago my daughter asked me to ride with her to run an errand. I was wearing yoga pants with an old t-shirt of my husband’s. My hair clumped in unorganized bunches in a messy bun. I had no makeup and was sporting my muddy yard shoes.

Being the “good Mama” I am, I agreed to go with her.

At that time the roads, even here in Atlanta, we’re almost empty with the Covid-19 “stay-at-home” rules in place.

Knowing I would be riding in the car and see no one, I walked out of the house as I was.

We were heading back home when we both remembered a missing ingredient for our planned dinner. It was pouring rain so I agreed to hop out of the car and run into the grocery so she wouldn’t need to park and go in.

I knew I was a hot mess but I hardly know anyone in Atlanta that is not related to me so I felt pretty safe.

I grabbed a $20 bill from my purse and headed inside. As often happens, the more I saw in the store, the more I remembered I needed. After far too long for a quick run in, I dashed to the checkout line and began passing my groceries through the self checkout scanner. The bill rang up to a little over $18. I reach for my money to pay when I realized that instead of a $20 I had picked up a $5 bill!

Yikes!

I call the attendant over to ask if I could run to my car for more money. It was that or send a few items back and start my scanning all over. The line behind me grew.

The sweet lady took one look at me and I melted to the floor.

I knew I looked a pitiful sight.

“It’s okay honey” she said “it’s on me” and she pulled a credit card from the wallet in her back pocket and leaned towards the register.

“Oh no” I mumbled, “I have the money to pay. I only need a minute to get my wallet from my car”.

“No” she said “please let me treat you”.

By this time others were watching me red-faced and speechless.

I climbed into the car with my daughter and broke into a heap of tears telling her what had happened.

That precious grocery store clerk saw me as someone who needed help.

She saw me as I might often look at others and judge them as needy or in trouble.

I was undone!

The generosity and kindness I felt from her as a perfect stranger blew my mind. She ran her personal card through that check out as if she was a millionaire.

THAT, friend, is what we need right now.

We need kindness.

We need HUGE listening ears.

We need generosity.

We need understanding of our very diverse needs and circumstances.

Do we ever, right?

God says we are HIS workmanship.

Regardless of color or economic position.

Regardless of our bold “wear no mask” face or feel a more protective concern for others who aren’t masked.

I’ll bet that you, like me, are hoping for a bit LESS DISTANCING this month, am I right? Our mental and emotional intake has been pensive at best.

We need one another.

We and God, can figure this out together.

I am sending out my JUNE Newsletter in a few days–it is filed with goodies and freebies–I hope you will sign up on my homepage and see what I FREE GOODIES I am sharing this month!

Pat

 

PS–Don’t forget to click on the HOMEPAGE LINK to visit my new Home and Hospitality Website