$133.32

It's Christmas break and I'm off school and trying to get a few things done, including grocery shopping. Last night I went to Walmart and stocked up on toiletries and picked up items for Christmas. My cart was full, and I was tired, so I decided to defer the rest of the shopping trip until the next day. I headed back to Walmart the next morning and filled my cart with mostly canned goods and some pantry staples. As I was unloading my cart I opened my bank app to check my account balance, I had about $200. I was trying to mentally add up the cost of my groceries to make sure I had enough when the woman in front of me saw all my cans and asked if I had a lot of cooking to do. I laughed and explained that it was payday recently and I was just restocking my can rotaters since they were looking sad and empty. My turn came and I loaded my bagged groceries into the cart and bent over to place some bulkier items on the bottom. When I stood back up I saw a man leaning over to the card reader. I looked closer and saw a red debit card sticking out of the chip reader. I probably stood there staring for a full 30 seconds staring at it and him while trying to process what was going on. "Sir?" I spoke up, but he ignored me. Again, "Sir? You don't have to do that." But he continued to ignore me and did not look at me. I thanked him and wished him a Merry Christmas as he quickly turned and left. It was obvious that he didn't want any recognition so I allowed him to leave as tears sprung up in my eyes. I stared at the cashier with my hand over my mouth, unsure of what to say. She said he asked if he could pay for it and she had told him yes. We exchanged a few words and I apologized for my emotions, she handed me my receipt and I quickly wheeled my cart out of the store as I brushed the tears from my cheeks. I got into my car and let the tears flow. The receipt showed that he had just spent $133.32 on my groceries. That wasn't a substantial amount, but it wasn't a cheap act of kindness either.

I don't know where that man came from, I don't know if he overheard my conversation about it being payday or if he had just wanted to do something nice and I looked like a good target.  Perhaps he was just doing his part to "Light the World" (a campaign by the LDS church to serve as Jesus did throughout this holiday season. Day 22 was: Jesus taught: "That which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do.") Maybe he had felt impressed to help and was simply acting on a spiritual prompting. I'll never know. I feel undeserving, there are so many people out there struggling that could have benefited even more from this unexpected financial blessing. And I know from Facebook that other financial blessings have been swirling through the community as grateful recipients post their gratitude to community pages.  But this time it happened to me. I'd like to think that it's a small sign from Heavenly Father that he is aware of my family.  He knows that we are trying hard to find the balance of living frugally, paying off debts quickly, and still living enough of a life that our children will have fond memories to look back on.  We struggle and sacrifice and do our best to give back to others, and this time it was our turn to be blessed. 
This is an act of kindness that I will never forget. It's one I intend to pay forward when an opportunity presents itself and I feel prompted to do so. It's hard to put into words my feelings, and my takeaway from this experience is somewhat private. I don't wish to share all of the ways that it has affected me except for how tenderly my heart has been touched. God knows each one of us individually and he loves us. He seems to know just the right balance of allowing us to struggle enough that we can grow, yet still blessing our lives enough for us to find happiness and peace. I will forever be grateful for my Father in Heaven and will never forget the kindness I was shown today.