Good morning on Ash Wednesday!
Lent begins today and I have a story to tell. It amounts to an unexpected "Part 2" to Sunday's "A Quarter Will Do" article.
Winter weather is about to deliver a punch to many of us today. Some, not so very far away, are anticipating up to 24 inches of snow. Blizzard warnings are in effect for many and here, in NE Iowa, we have an Ice Storm Warming with up to 0.6 of an inch of ice and winds up to 45 mph.
All of this is dangerous, so if you are out and about, be very careful, please.
In preparation, I decided to make certain I had enough Ice-Melt so the lunch break yesterday consisted of a little running around to procure this 'staple.
We're approaching the end of February and apparently, the major retailer in town wished to divest itself of this product with a 90% off sale. I had been unaware of this heavy discount but as promotions go, this one had been wildly successful. Gone.
Thinking that perhaps some "Windshield De-icer" might help, I bought a couple gallons as a replacement for the real thing. But on my way back home, a smaller store was in front of me. I don't know why, but let's just call it a "Hail Mary" and I pulled into the driveway.
Outside the store, they had bags Ice-Melt - reasonably priced as well!
I entered the store and there was only one person in the queue in front of me. She was already checking out, so I was thinking, "This won't take long." Being a bit late already, that thought was comforting. But wait. This lady IS taking a long time. She was barely moving one item at a time and the reach into her cart seemed to be purposefully sloth-like. I am now becoming irritated.
As I reached into my pocket for my phone to check the time, my fingers brushed a quarter.
I looked at the time, looked at the frustrated cashier, looked at the elderly lady checking out and moved out of line toward the front of her cart. I began to hand her the things that she apparently could not reach. Her face took on the look of bewilderment, but then smiled with a, "Thank you!"
I had thought it was age, but it was actually more than that. She had seriously hurt her back but needed a few things before the storm hit. Her husband was ill and had stayed home. When she paid her bill, she pushed the cart as it helped her walk and I followed to help load her car. In just a few moments, she told me her whole story. It was actually nice to meet her but have no idea what her name is.
Once finished with this task, I completed my own purchase and left for home late, but happy.
You all know I am always uncomfortable when telling stories like this. But it isn't my story at all. It's the story of how a quarter reminded me that I should look for opportunities to serve. From the frustration of being late and the aggravation of waiting behind a slow-moving person, things changed dramatically for the two of us. Instead of standing there tapping my foot with annoyance, I moved into action. Not a superhero kind of action, but just a simple act of service with super results.
At 1:30 AM, I woke knowing it was time to publish this article. I'm making this quick because I have every intention of seeing the pillow again before the workday begins. I just wanted to make a couple of points.
- Sunday's suggestion of keeping a quarter in your pocket apparently works as a pretty good reminder.
- It could work better. I am thinking that it would have been good to have given the quarter to this lady and to take a minute to explain why this small act was so important to both of us.
- I would like to encourage you to act and explain as well.
In that light, you will see an email from Amazon this morning. It's only a couple of bucks, it's not cash, and you can't take it to the bank and exchange it for quarters. You can, however, put the gift card in your account and use your own quarters. Share them with others in your family, use them to give to someone on the receiving end of your act of kindness, or find another meaningful way to make Lent matter this year.
Today is a good day to pray for the safety of all those who need to travel today. Please be safe.
P.S. I know that not everyone that reads these articles has subscribed. I appreciate your willingness to consider some of my weird thoughts in your own walk through life. If you'd like to subscribe (that would be great!), feel free to use this page. As soon as you do, I will be delighted to send an Amazon gift card to you as well. Quarters work!
Thank you and Goodnight to all!
m
No comments:
Post a Comment