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DaRk AnGel : Why Home : December 2005 : The Stranger in Wal Mart

The Stranger in Wal Mart

I really get Melancholy this time of the year.. I guess it is due to all the people I care about not living near. Television is a constant reminder that this is the time for families and to be surrounded by those we love. I can understand the Seasonal Anxiety Disorder that so many suffer from.

I just finished writing my Christmas cards. With each I thanked the person for being a part of my life. Because of the friends I have I am so very wealthy. And even though not near, I am glad that they get to spend the time with their families. It is hard to be without a family during the holidays.

Me, I have my three dogs. They are my family. They sleep with me, they share my bad and good days, as I do theirs. They get presents and surprises all year round, and sometimes amaze me at their instinctual reactions to my feelings. Sure I would much rather have a mate. And it bothers me that the family that I do have is not close. I would like to have someone in my life to love and cherish and care for, but if that is not to be, I am ok.

I think that I am well off. There are so many people in this world with less than what I have in the friends and family department. People living in shelters, or on the street. People who long ago have lost faith and hope. It bothers me that we, society do not do more on a personal level to let these people know that they are cared about, and that they have value.

If I had the transportation I would be somewhere serving meals to the less fortunate on Christmas day. Sharing a smile and a warm heartfelt hello from a stranger is something everyone remembers. If I could I would make a point to talk to each one of them to hear their story. To listen. To get to know the soul behind the sadness.

I do all that I can for strangers in pain or distress. I know it is not enough. And I do what I can, with what I have at my means.

Last Friday, I was in Wal Mart. What happened occurred while I was in the Check Out Line. The lady in front of me had two kids and all the items in her basket were generic or store brands. You could see the love in her eyes for her children but there was sadness as well, when each time they reached for candy she had to tell them to put it back, that there just wasn't enough money. I wondered what her Christmas was going to be like.

I watched as she loaded what she had on the conveyor. Bread, peanut butter, hot dogs, frozen waffles, milk, cereal, cold cuts, laundry powder, bathroom cleanser, not an item that in my mind was not a necessity. As the cashier was scanning her items the lady was fumbling with food stamps and some crumpled up dollar bills.

When the total came up, she started putting things back. In her eyes I could see the pain, the humiliation, the utter despair. I could stand it no longer. I asked the cashier what the lady's total was. I asked her to hold on a second and add back the items that she had removed. I reached into the candy and grabbed handfuls and threw them on the conveyor.

Then I told the cashier I would pay for everything.

The lady's eyes welled up. The children were smiling not caring about what was occurring but to the fact that they had candy. The cashier was touched as well. She looked to me and said "you are a kind man". The lady attempted to find words to thank me..

No I told her, "Thank you". And told her to go on her way.

I checked out, and left WalMart with much more than groceries that day.

I am not a rich man. I have to watch my money and like most Americans have little or no savings. And what happened that day was not about money. It was about me doing the right thing.

Giving to a stranger, is creating a legacy. They will never forget that event. And I am so much more richer for the little I gave.

Loving others and caring for their well being is something that I think we are all responsible for. Not just for the friends we know, but for the strangers that have little. It is these type of gifts that they receive that are cherished and forever remembered. Friends are grateful, but there is usually always a return with a friend. With a stranger it is a gift that is unconditional, unexpected, and a lesson that there are still a few that do care about all of mankind.

Give of your heart to every stranger in need. Your rewards will be tenfold the gift given or the effort exerted.