Winter

Winter

Friday, September 19, 2014

A Beautiful Day


To get to here sometimes, I am amazed at how many twists and turns the week made. No wonder sometimes I feel like I slide in sideways. All of the things I worry about just don't happen. The storm that was supposed to hit my daughter and her family, was a big non event, as she said. The truck was fixed and was no big deal. The air conditioner quietly hums away for the first time ever. Today we finally have cooler weather. It will only last for two days, but it is better than nothing.


I was listening to a man talk about choices and attitudes the other day. He said that things we say and do and even post on Face Book can affect the world around us. He was a man who does statistics and what he found was that we can affect up to four people or more with positive or negative comments. I think why it jumped out at me, was earlier that morning I had to take the truck into the shop, I also needed to go to the grocery store, I needed to be back home before the car shuffle began. I was in such a hurry. It was so early at the store there was only one checker. I noticed that everyone behind me had one item. I had a basket. I let three people go ahead of me. Not a single one made eye contact. Not a single person said thank you.


It was early. I know everyone was tired. I was in a hurry too, but I decided that I was going to pay close attention I was going to have a teaching moment. Standing behind me were two more people with one item.
There was a girl directly behind me and she was counting change, dimes and nickels. I asked her if she wanted to go ahead. She kept her eyes down on the palm of her hand, and said, No.
There was another lady and I asked her and she went ahead. Finally the girl with the change looked up. What I saw was the extreme exhaustion. She was so tired my heart jumped. I told her to go ahead.


 She handed the checker her change, and the checker began counting it. The checker said, " You are twenty cents short." The girl said, " Oh, no, I can't be, that is all I have, I need two dollars, so I can catch my bus." The terror on the girls face, just broke my heart, without thinking I said, " Oh, goodness, I will give her twenty cents, just a minute." so I grabbed my wallet. (I take my change out of my wallet normally and put it in a change can) but I had exactly twenty cents in pennies, nickels and dimes.


The girl took her two dollars. She never looked back, she just went on out the door, she still had that slump in her shoulders. I know how far she had to walk to the bus stop. If I could have found her, I would have taken her where ever she was going but she was gone by the time I was finished. There was such a look of brokenness on her face.

The checker who saw this, had been rather grumpy. But then she became all smiles. She told me thank you, because I had made her day.
It wasn't something I even thought about, but then I listened to that man talk about attitude and choice. I thought to myself, that no matter what I am going to continue to be nice, I will let people go ahead of me.   Because you know why? Because of that nice man who fixed my air conditioner. Doing the right thing really matters and in doing so, it restores my hope in life. So what goes around, does come around. I even tell you this because I felt I learned a powerful thing in my life that day.

I finally finished up a little counted cross stitch. I don't know if I am just getting slower but this thing took me so long, but it was very fun This one is called  Gardener Goode Witch by Country Stitches


It helps me get in the mood for fall which begins next Tuesday. So glad this hot dry summer will be put to bed, well here maybe by December.

Have a lovely day,
~Kim~


" Lord deliver me from the urge to open my mouth when I should shut it. Give me wisdom to keep silence where silence is wise.
Remind me that not everything needs to be said and that there are very few things that need to be said by me.
(Elisabeth Elliot---A Lamp for my feet, pg 42)
My constant prayer.

19 comments:

Christine said...

Hello again dear friend! Thank you for your timely words of encouragement. I am always blessed when I visit with you and I'm so glad you made it through another week still able to give thanks!
God bless
Chrisitne

Julia said...

I love reading about your story today. You did exactly what I would have done... I can't pass a beggar by without talking to them and offer them a little something. They live a very unfortunate life. I have done exactly that when someone is short of change too at the check out...

Even on my last trip to town I had to park the car and only needed $.35 cent to park for a few minutes but all had was a $2.00 coin, one penny and a medal in my wallet and some bills. I put the $2.00 coin in the meter and when I returned from my banking errand, a gentleman pulled in the next parking spot. I rolled down my window and told him that I just had put $2.00 in the meter and I was leaving. He thank me and said that I had made his day...

I believe in the Law of Karma. You reap what you sow. Every action generates an energy force of the same kind. You were living right in the moment when you helped that poor lady.

You are so wise to assess what you could learn in that experience.

I love that little cross stitch. It's beautiful and it's not how fast you can stitch but how much you enjoyed that stitch by stitch journey.

Have a blessed weekend my dear friend.
Hugs,
JB

Pom Pom said...

Aw! I love your heart! You are a helper. Mister Rogers said we should watch for the helpers. God bless you!

Kessie said...

I'm glad your week turned out to be not as bad as you thought! Same for the air conditioning. The dust must be hard on them.

My blog is completely broken, so I have to figure out how to save it. I'm afraid I might lose all my posts. That will be my project this weekend, when I don't have people waiting in line for the computer.

TexWisGirl said...

i know that lady will think back on how you saved her day. she may have forgotten to thank you then, but, it mattered to her. glad the checker noticed your kindness. :)

and glad you're getting some cooler days!

Pom Pom said...

I forgot to tell you that I LOVE that counted cross stitch piece! Adorable+++++!

Meg said...

Ah, I wish I were more aware of people around me and tried to do more good. I'm not always very focused on that. I think I am friendly, but I am usually in such a hurry wherever I am that I don't really focus on the people around me. Thanks for the reminder. :) And I'm glad all of your worries this week just fizzled out.

Buttons Thoughts said...

She will remember when she comes back from where her head is. Down and out you tend to not think clearly but she will remember your kindness. HUG B

Dog Trot Farm said...

Kim, paying it forward just makes you feel good inside...it's the little things in life that can make such a huge difference...I am positive that young girl will remember your act of kindness...Glad to learn the storm bypassed your daughter and family...Have a lovely weekend...

Willow said...

This really touched me , and I understand it well .
Being kind without expectation , just observing and caring about people ~ actually sometimes you end up touching peoples hearts in ways you didn't even realize , and sometimes it's not the person you just helped that gives you recognition in that moment but someone that needed to see an act of kindness to have their spirit renewed. Good for you .

Alica said...

I enjoyed your post today, Kim. There are a lot of hurting people all around us if we just take the time to see them.
I really like Elisabeth Elliott's prayer, too. I hope you have a good weekend. Glad to hear your daughter and her family are fine!

Kim said...

Such a nice story. Sometimes it's just one little thing that can change someone's day. But honestly, it makes me sad that she didn't say thank you

annie said...

that's a wonderful post, we should all practice that art!
love the stitching!

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

Excellent reminder that even when we're in a hurry, we can slow down long enough to show a little kindness.

Gumbo Lily said...

God in you shines! You choose love.
I love the Elisabeth Elliot prayer. I'm writing that one down in my Book of Favorites. Thank you for sharing it.

(cute cross stitch!)

Debbie said...

being nice is always the right choice, no matter what!! i love when i have the opportunity to help someone, especially someone i don't know and will probably never see again!! best feeling in the world!!

the mums are gorgeous!!!

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Well, your post has made my Sunday morning! I'm going to go look for that article because I know a couple of people who need to hear that about posting things and how it affects others. I love your attitude and I think that it is important to always be nice to people..especially when they are surly to you..

Rugs and Pugs said...

Doing the right thing is so important and a little kindness can go a long way. I so believe in paying it forward.
You are such a good person!!! Don't ever forget that.
Hugs :)
Lauren

Joy said...

I do like the quote, "Because nice matters." And it does! It's sad that those people did not offer up a smile or thanks in return for your good gesture, but the way I see it (and probably how God sees it) is that YOU did the right thing, leave the results up to God.