"Your greatest contribution to the Kingdom of God may not be something you do, but someone you raise." ~Andy Stanley

June 26, 2012

What a day

Have you ever been grocery shopping and happen to be going down the same aisles in the same order as someone else at about the same speed?
Well, that is happened to me today at Wal*Mart and I accidentally eavesdropped on this man's cell phone conversation because he was...well, loud.
When I was getting pasta I heard that his wife of 25 years has only 6 months to live and I was stunned. I stared after him as he walked the rest of the way down the aisle saying:
 "I'm not giving up though, she's my wife!" 
When we were near the sausage and bacon, I heard that he "isn't going to work for someone else anymore." He wants to "make the best life I can for my three kids. My family is all that matters to me. It is all that I have."
Near the sandwich meat, I heard that he has a child who is "partying like there's no tomorrow" and "What's wrong with teenagers these days."
I was hoping to tell him that I believe in the power of prayer and that I would be praying for his wife's healing  (which I had started doing 2 aisles back) and his family,
but I never saw him again. By the time I hit the produce section, I was just about in tears thinking about his situation,
when guess who walked by? 
Not him,
 it 
was
SPIDER MAN.
Or a man in a Spider Man costume, I should say.
And I had to smile... And smiling is a lot better than crying while getting bananas.
He looked so crazy wandering around the fruit and then he turned and went the other way.

When I got home, I found out that I had to return something....ugh! Something that couldn't wait until next week, which meant that I found myself, yet again at Wal*Mart. Grrr!
 I would have thought this was cruel and unusual punishment except for the conversation that followed.

The man in front of me, told the cashier that she could 'keep the change' and she said "No, you may need it. What if your total is $20.01 next time?"
When it was my turn, I told her that I'd said the same thing to one of my boys recently who 'doesn't like change.'
 (Actually my speech went more like this -"Dude! Change is money! If you don't want it, I know some missionaries who will gladly take it off your hands or feel free to give it to me!!!")  ; )

And you know what this sweet, elderly cashier said?!?!
I promise you, you don't! (which is why I'm even rambling on about this in the first place)


She said:
"You know, my mother paid for my wedding with pennies."
Me: "No way, really?!"
Cashier: "Yes, she did. The day I was born she started saving all the change from my father's pockets each evening, and put it in the bank. When I got married it was enough to pay for my wedding. So, in essence, she paid for my wedding with pennies. So that goes to show you the value of change."
Me: "Thank you! I'm so glad you told me that story."

Wasn't that beautiful?! I think that made the second trip totally worth it.

~Becky, who had one really odd day at Wally World 

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