Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

I was standing in line at Hobby Lobby tonight with 3 packs of cello bags and 2 packs of twist ties. I use those to bag cookies for the market. The lines were long and slow... I noticed a woman in one of those motorized carts and another woman helping her get around with it. They made their purchases and went out toward the doors. The woman sitting stood very carefully to her feet and was quite unsteady. Her helper was hesitant to leave her standing alone to go and get her car. I was trying to find a place to lay my bags and ties down. The only place I could find was the corner of the checkout counter. I reached around the girl in front of me and explained to her I was just going to leave my stuff there and deal with the line when I got back in and that I was going to see if I could help those ladies out. She said okay and I walked off. I assured the helper that her friend could lean on me until she brought the car around. We chatted for a few minutes as she held on to my arm and leaned against me. We got her settled into the car and on their way. I was about to walk back into the store when I heard, "lady, lady." I looked up and saw the girl that was in line in front of me earlier. She handed me a shopping bag with my items in it and told me she took care of it for me, that it really wasn't all that much and that the lines were really long. She wouldn't take any money for it.

This was a woman, probably no older than her mid to late 20's.

We sometimes complain that there is a generation of people who feel they are "entitled" to receive without effort. This young woman showed me how it is not always true. My husband and I both choked up as I was telling him what had happened. I don't know the names of any of the women I interacted with tonight. I may not even recognize them if I were to see them again, but I will remember how they made me feel....