If you read my post about a month ago entitled "Yesterday" you know that my husband, Tony, suffered a pretty severe back injury a while ago. The last few weeks have consisted of every type of "therapy" that has been recommended to us including spinal inversion therapy and magnet therapy. He talks about Aaron like he's his new best friend (Aaron is his chiropractor) and he can now recite, from memory, the dialogue in every TV commercial known to man. He hasn't been able to walk, much less work, we had to cancel our favourite annual holiday to Texada Island, I'm pulling double duty around the house which included shovelling 12 storms worth of snow and just when I thought it couldn't suck more... it did.
I truly was beginning to question God and His wisdom on keeping humans on the planet. Why on earth would he tolerate us... we are so weak, fallible and sometimes, I'm sorry to say, not very nice.
Being the person I am, I was ruminating these thoughts, over and over, as I was on my way to Langley to pick up some office supplies at Staples. Of course, considering the mood I was in, it was completely fitting that it was pouring rain. I was loading everything out of my store buggy when an older gentleman (who, by the way, looked exactly like my Uncle Ed) came up to me and said, "I'll take that buggy back if you'd like." "Sure" I said, thinking that he needed a buggy for his shopping. So glad to get out of the rain, I got into my van and just happened to glance back and I saw the man take my buggy and put it in the buggy storage in front of the store. Then he went inside. He didn't even need a buggy. He did that just for me... a complete stranger in the parking lot.
That simple act of kindness hit me like a ton of bricks. I couldn't believe how it lifted my spirits and made me realize there is still goodness and good people in the world.
I came seriously close to going inside the store and giving him a huge hug but I knew that would just confirm that I was becoming unglued (and probably a bit scary)! Instead I thanked God for the Good Samaritan He gave me that day and vowed that I would pass it on. A simple, random act of kindness that, for me, that day, was not simple at all.
