Emily’s Curio

There is a news article posted yesterday:

OGDEN — An Ogden woman cannot believe a stranger paid her $65 bill at the grocery store.

The Ogden Standard-Examiner reports it happened around 8 p.m. Friday at the Albertsons at 20th Street and Harrison Boulevard.

Frances Martinez reached the register but had a problem with her debit card. She stepped aside to call the bank. She says when she came back, the checker had surprising news.

“She goes, ‘The lady behind you paid for all your groceries; $65 worth.’ I said, ‘Who was it? What does she look like?’” Martinez said.

But the woman was gone.

Martinez tells the Standard-Examiner she went home and cried. “That doesn’t happen, hardly ever. Now with the economy so bad, it’s wonderful that someone would do that,” Martinez said.

This story reminded me of a situatioin that happened to our family recently. It was right after Christmas that I was waiting in line at Costa Vida with my oldest son. I was tired and pregnant and had had anemotional morning. My son was concerned and wanted to be with me so I held his hand and we talked as we waited for the long line to shorten and we could haveour turn. As we waited there a man entered the restaurant and walked right up to me. He put his hand on my arm and handed me something that I had supposed he would be asking me to give to someone within my reach. Instead he held my arm, looked me in the eyes and said clearly and softly, “Merry Christmas.” I looked at the card in my hand and could only think of responding with a simple, “Thank you.” He lefft the place and I stood a little dumbfounded as I looked at the costa vida gift card for twenty dollars in my hand. All kinds of thought went through my head. At first I paniked that he might think I was a single mother, that he was trying to do a good deed for someone who really needed it and thought it might be me. Then I paniked that he thought I might be in need in some other way, but it was obvious with my sons new red coat on and my new tan one that we did not look like we were in need. Then I felt guilty that he had done a kind act, supposeing he wanted to do it for someone in need, and that it had landed on me instead. I began to look through the line for the right person to give the gift to. Then a calm feeling, like somebody putting their warm hands on your shoulders in a loving way to get your attention, came over me and a thought struck me. “Maybe he was just doing something for someone to be nice, because there isn’t very much of that going on in the world.” That had a made a strong impression with me. I had always thought that people did things for people who were in need, but this was someone who was doing something for someone just to do it. There was so much of anger, critisism, gossip, faultfinding, judgement, tearing down, complaining, unkindness, and unhappiness everywhere.

Do you remember the last time someone smiled at you in understanding when you didn’t see them to your right as you were about to change lanes? Or the person at the grocery store who smiled and said excuse me as you came around the corner unaware that they were about to exit? Or the person who gave you the benefit of the doubt when you said something a little odd but they could tell you meant no harm, and they wouldn’t expose you to gossip or ridicule? Those are things I have done over and over again sincce the experience, just to give my two cents of the better way to live. It hasn’t been easy, you don’t always receive the same treatment in return, and it hasn’t become part of my natural character to do it, it’s still a choice and an effort I have to make because I want to someday be a better person than I am now. But I am grateful to al those people out there who are trying to do the same thing. Who are just doing the right thing because it’s right, not because they will receive any recognition or any special privileages. IN fact, as someone once told me, it’s one of those things you can chalk up to being another “Silent Victory’ in life. Your secret alone, something you did to make another persons day and nobody else knows about it except one:

“And the Lord who seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” Matt. 6:6

And what greater reward can we have than from the LORD? The Prince of Peace.