By Lee Scott
This past week, I went into the grocery store to pick up a few things. Of course, the ten items on my list suddenly turned into 25. As I finished placing my groceries on the checkout counter, I noticed the woman behind me only had a couple of things.
“Go ahead,” I said “You don’t have much.” “Thank you!” she responded. After she checked out the cashier started to ring up my items. As she was scanning my groceries she said, “That was nice of you.” “No problem.” I said. Then she continued. “Last week, there was a woman buying her groceries and she didn’t look like she had much money. The woman in line behind her said, “Let me buy your chicken and ground beef for you”. The cashier said the young woman was thrilled and thanked the other woman.
I was taken aback as I listened to this story, but even more surprised when she added, “I see this kind of stuff all the time. People just doing nice things for other people.” I was mulling the story over as I walked back to my car and thought that I wish our politicians could talk to this grocery store clerk. It might bring their confidence level in America back up.
Later, as I was relaying the experience to my spouse, I started to think about all the other acts of kindness that I have received and witnessed since I moved here. For example, that person in line that coughs up some change when you don’t have any or the folks who buy coffee for the military personnel at City Java or the person that waves your car into line in heavy traffic.
But the lady who bought the chicken and ground beef will stick with me for a while. Because I remember being a young wife and mother living on a tight budget. Those were the days when I knew fifty ways to prepare ground beef for dinners. It would have been great to have someone pay for part of my grocery bill back then.
The next day, I went back to the store to ask Tonya, the Manager for the cashier’s name. Oh yes, that’s Kristina and she is right, “It happens all the time!” So good for you, lady at the Food Lion; that young woman will remember you forever. And good for Kristina for relaying that story.
