Twenty Bucks

Robbie and I try to be responsible with our money. I have made some changes in my grocery shopping locations to save where I can. Today I took my Thanksgiving shopping list to ALDI, which is a discount food seller. The carts require the insertion of a quarter to unlock from one another in an attempt to keep them in one location. The temp was 34. I strapped Vivian to my chest. I held the small hands of Henry and Evelyn. Ev had the quarter. As we approached the carts, Henry's shoe fell off. I needed to help Evelyn put the quarter into the cart to release it from the others. Henry doesn't put his shoes on by himself too well, and all of this had to happen while maneuvering with a 9-month-old attached to my front. Not good.

As God smiled down at me on the pretty sunny day, COLD, yet pretty, a woman exited the store. She took one look at me and went into help mode. Her friendly demeanor and face reminded me of a very nice lady at Robbie's office named Debbie. This woman said her daughter had three children in Syracuse, and she knew things looked hard at the moment. She insisted we take her cart without receiving our quarter in exchange. She picked up Henry's shoe and put it on his thick foot after I lifted him into the seat. I thanked her and we wished each other a happy Thanksgiving.

I started down the main aisle and began to check off my list...flour, sugar, brown sugar, pretzels, fruit spread, and on it went. I had almost made it to the dairy section when the same lady came up next to me. She seemed very nervous. I still don't know how her gift made it into my hand, but she said, "Take this. Don't think I'm weird." She then rushed away from me. I was dumbfounded. I looked down and found a folded twenty in my hand. I said, "Oh, no. No, no. Ma'am. Please come back. Ma'am!! Take this." She was already halfway down the next aisle, and she was speed walking. Another shopper came up to me and said, "What happened? Are you okay? What did she give you?" I said, "She gave me money." I must have looked shocked and confused, which I totally was. The lady said, "Well, and I bet it made her feel good to give it to you, and it makes you feel good to receive it. This is the spirit of Thanksgiving."

My mind started racing. All I could think about was how the gift giver looked like SHE needed the money. Yes, we try to stretch our funds, but we are quite far from poor. I then reflected upon our appearance. True, I had planned to workout before our grocery run. That didn't happen, and I hadn't showered and put on any make-up. My khakis were from my teaching days in the late 90s pre-kids, and there was a hole in one knee. However, my kids wore nice, warm, clean coats from Land's End. Their hair was combed. I then thought, "This is ridiculous. Evelyn is carrying a $100 doll, and this lady just gave me money and ran away". I was embarrassed. In my mind I laughed and told myself that the money came because Evelyn's doll's long hippy hair was such a disaster. If the woman waivered at all about whether or not to give us some money, then Julie the American Girl doll from 1974 sealed the deal. If I didn't have a conscience I'd take Julie to the doll salon, and yes, they really have one, and spend the $20 on getting her hair done. It needs it.

I kept shopping. Evelyn decided to give me a run for my money. She was VERY naughty, and rather than fix her misbehavior, she kept doing more and more to get into trouble. Consequences abounded. First, no American Doll girl for the rest of the day. Next, no t.v. Finally, no marshmallows as a treat upon our return home. Then she had to stand in the store in time-out for five minutes. I was so close to spanking her in public. Fear of appearing on the news probably stopped me. The trip was totally brutal. Totally!!!

My cart was completely full. At ALDI they have no shopping bags, and you're on your own to get your items to your car. There's no drive up service at that place. I started sacking my stuff into the cloth bags I brought along, and the lady who spoke to me after the gift started helping me. Again, I was surprised. Her name was Marge, and she looked a bit like my Aunt Vicky who passed away. I told her all of our names, and I thanked her. I told her she reminded me of Aunt Vicky too, and that created a huge smile on her face. She said, "I hope you like her." I said, "Oh, yes. I do."

Now I need to figure out a worthy charity to share the lady's $20. I figure it needs to be one that has a focus on helping mothers and young children. I'll add this to my mental To Do list, but this is a pretty special task. I doubt I'll ever forget this day. I must pay it forward. Again, I say, life is good. However, I can't help but question the motive. Did something happen with her own daughter, and her gift was a sentiment toward her love for that child? Did I have a deer in the headlights look out at the front of the store? What in the world inspired her to bless me with a random act of kindness? God only knows, and clearly, there is one.