You’ll miss the best things if you keep your eyes shut.
– Dr. Seuss
W
hen I was a teenager, probably about 13, my mother taught me a very valuable lesson I’ve never forgotten. We were grocery shopping in a small store one day when I noticed another family also come into the store like us.
It looked like a mother, her daughter, and her granddaughter. They were clean but dressed in worn clothes, and it was obvious that they were less fortunate. They pushed a cart through the store, carefully considering and selecting items. I noticed that they were mostly generic and all necessary foods for a family.
My mother and I finished our shopping and pushing the shopping-cart headed toward the clerk to pay. As we got there, that family was in front of us, with one person in between, waiting for the counter.
As I watched the family place groceries on the conveyor belt, I heard the mother ask the clerk every so often to subtotal, when each item was passed the teller machine, as she only had so much to spend. This took a while, and the person in front of me started to get noticeably impatient and even started mumbling things which I’m sure were overheard.
When the store clerk did a final total, the woman did not have enough money after foraging all her pockets. So she began pointing to different food items to put back. Right away my mother reached in her purse, pulled out her last twenty dollar bill and handed it to the woman. The woman looked very surprised and said, “I can’t take that!” My mother looked directly into her eyes and quietly replied, “It doesn’t matter at all. You most certainly can. Consider it a gift. There’s nothing in that cart you don’t really need, so please accept it.”
The woman couldn’t help being touched by my mom’s sincere, she then reached out and took the money. Then, squeezing my mom’s hand for just a moment, and with tears running down her cheeks, she said with emotion to my mom, “Thank you very much. It’s so nice of you. No one’s ever done nothin’ like this for me before. Really thank you!”
I know I left the store with tears in my eyes, and it is something I will cherish forever. You see, my parents had to raise six children and didn’t have a whole lot of money themselves. However, I’m very happy to say that I inherited her caring heart. Owing to mom, I have given selflessly before, and I believe that there is not a better feeling in the whole world!
- Dee M. Taylor