K-I-N-D-N-E-S-S

I believe that mircles happen everyday. That they can range from soemthing small to the out right amazing. I cannot put into words the feelings that I"m feelign when I think about what happened to me yesterday evening, but I will tell you that they are all positive and good. To be filled with joy is a wonderful gift and to pass on that joy is infectious. Let's begin. I love the feeling of knowning that all my bills are paid. That I owe no one money and the phone won't be ringing off the hook with bill collectors. This is how I was feeling yesterday morning after handling my business. I can tell you that this wonderful feeling did not last long. As I remembered that I sent a check to the IRS and I had to repay money to my job becasue they over paid me (why is this my fault?), I realized that after all my bills (no groceries yet) that I had about $210 to last me for the next two weeks until I get paid again. No, the feeling did not last long at all. In fact, the feeling I ended up having later on that afternonn was that of worry, despair and utter saddness. How the hell can I survive on $210 for two weeks with a toddler and husband to feed, gas to put in the car and any other unexpected expense that might come about. As my son took his late afternoon nap, I tossed and turned with idea of how I could survive on this amoutn of money. I had a last minute playdate at McDonalds around 6pm for Masaya and I told myself to just deal with this later. We went into the resturant and it was pretty busy, so I had to wait a bit. For those of you that don't know, waiting with a toddler is not the most rewarding experience. As I tryed to passify my son I also thought what would be the cheapest thing I could get eat for the both of us. "The fish sandwich is only a dollar. I could also get a small fry and sweet tea and Masaya can have a happy meal. Seven dollars sounds good to me." I thought to myself. We finally get up to the counter and I start placing my order. As I do this a guy behind me asks "Can u add a small nugguet?" I didn't think much of it as he holding money in his had. I just thought he was going to give me a dollar for his food and that was that. He then proceeded to pay for the entire order. And I know what some of you are thinking, "Its only McDonalds. The bill was only $9, who cares." This lady cares. I was so floored and amazed and just overcome with the feeling of surprise I just said "NO!" Now, you all know I only have a couple hundred dollars to last two weeks, but I could pay for me and my child. The man just looked at me, with such sincarity I felt ashamed and he said "Please, we have to take care of each other." And all I could do was stand there with my son on my hip, mouth wide open, still in shock and managed to say a faint "thank you." I don't know if it was the suprise of him paying or my deeper insecurity of feeling that I don't deserve to be taken care of (that's another entry all together), but something changed in me. This act of kindess inspired me and I am an truly grateful to him and pray that he is blessed for this. The kindness of strangers. It is a rare and beautiful thing. In that moment I could think of nothing except, is he serious? I mean, my husband doesn't even buy dinner for me and he loves me, yet this random human being took care of me and my child just to be kind. This man inspired me to be a better human being, a better mother, a better wife, a better daughter, a better friend. In that moment of kindness I knew, without a shadow of a doubt that my Creator will take care of me. I"m still annoyed that I only have $210 to my name for the next two weeks, but this morning when I woke up, I wasn't worried about it. I woke up thinking, "how can I change someone elses day around for the better?" What will be my opputunity to pay it forward? And in my heart I know that "kind" is more then a word, it is a lifestyle we should all be living. Be Bless and loved -M xoxox