To Inspire: Groceries

It's been a while since I've posted anything inspirational. I like to do that once in a while to make people stop and think about their actions, and to raise spirits. This inspirational story was emailed to me today, and I was really touched when I read it. Hopefully it touches you, too.

'Some people!' snorted a man standing behind me in the

long line at the grocery store.



'You would think the manager would pay attention and

open another line, 'said a woman. I looked to the

front of the line to see what the hold up was and saw

a well dressed, young woman, trying to get the machine

to accept her credit card. No matter how many times

she swiped it, the machine kept rejecting it.



'It's one of them welfare card things. Damn people

need to get a job like everyone else,' said the man

standing behind me. The young woman turned around to

see who had made the comment. 'It was me,' he said,

pointing to himself.



The young lady's face began to change expression.

Almost in tears, she dropped the welfare card onto the

counter and quickly walked out of the store. Everyone

in the checkout line watched as she began running to

her car. Never looking back, she got in and drove

away.



After developing cancer in 1977 and having had to use

food stamps, I had learned never to judge anyone,

without knowing the circumstances of their life. This

turned out to be the case today.



Several minutes later a young man walked into the

store. He went up to the cashier and asked if she had

seen the woman. After describing her, the cashier told

him that she had run out of the store, got into her

car, and drove away.



'Why would she do that?' asked the man. Everyone in

the line looked around at the fellow who had made the

statement. 'I made a stupid comment about the

Welfare card she was using. Something I shouldn't

have said. I'm sorry,' said the man.



'Well, that's bad, real bad, in fact. Her brother was

killed in Afghanistan two years ago. He had three

young children and she has taken on that

responsibility...she's twenty years old, single, and

now has three children to support,' he said in a very

firm voice.



'I'm really truly sorry. I didn't know,' he replied,

shaking both his hands about.



The young man asked, 'Are these paid for?' pointing to

the shopping cart full of groceries. 'It wouldn't take

her card,' the clerk told him.



'Do you know where she lives?' asked the man who had

made the comment.



'Yes, she goes to our church.'



'Excuse me,' he said as he made his way to the front

of the line. He pulled out his wallet, took out his

credit card and told the cashier, 'Please use my card.

PLEASE!' The clerk took his credit card and began to

ring up the young woman's groceries.



Hold on,' said the gentleman. He walked back to his

shopping cart and began loading his own groceries onto

the belt to be included. 'Come on people. We got three

kids to help raise!' he told everyone in line.

Everyone began to place their groceries onto the fast

moving belt. A few customers began bagging the food

and placing it into separate carts. 'Go back and get

two big turkeys,' yelled a heavyset woman, as she

looked at the man.. 'NO,' yelled the man. Everyone

stopped dead in their tracks. The entire store became

quiet for several seconds. 'Four turkeys,' yelled the

man. Everyone began laughing and went back to work.

When all was said and done, the man paid a total of

$1,646.57 for the groceries. He then walked over to

the side, pulled out his check book, and began

writing a check using the bags of dog food piled near

the front of the store for a writing surface. He

turned around and handed the check to the young man.

'She will need a freezer and a few other things as

well,' he told the man.



The young man looked at the check and said, 'This is

really very generous of you.'



'No,' said the man 'Her brother was the generous

one.'



Everyone in the store had been observing the odd

commotion and began to clap. And I drove home that

day feeling very American.