As I continue to "de-clutter" our house for the month (today I sold quite a bit, thank goodness), I was stressed out, grinding teeth, fretting about chaos and mess...basically, status quo.
We happened to need to make a delivery to a mom who had purchased items from me from a local swap site. She doesn't have a car, yet she was getting my "nice" items at a steal....
When she texted me her address, I immediately froze and mentally remarked "Chris will be going with me to this part of town or he'll have a kitten fit!"
So, after we all came home from our various activities, we loaded up the van, and Chris drove us to a part of town with which I was not familiar. It was also after dark.
I texted the woman who had purchased a toddler backpack and toddler giraffe costume from me to let her know where we were.
She replied that she lived closer to the laundromat.
Well....in my stubborn, arrogant way, I replied via text that we were staying where we were and would meet here in a few minutes.
In the background, Lulu and Henry were whining in simultaneous cries about being hungry and bored and wishing they were home. Henry even said "This is the worst trip ever!" (We'd been gone from home for less than 10 minutes....)
Both Chris and I were at boiling points.
We waited very inpatiently and annoyed while this woman came to claim her bargains.
And then, we saw her.
A young mom with three very small children dressed in coats and grasping sippy cups, toddling alongside her.
This wasn't a case of laziness.
Nor was it a case of greed.
This was a young, single mom with three beautiful children with runny noses for whom she had purchased these items. And I immediately felt like the biggest jag-a-muffin who walked the planet.
I gave her the bag and timidly took her money. I asked her middle child, who tried to follow me, for a sip of juice. We laughed. I apologized profusely. What a damn FOOL I had been!!! How dare I judge someone I didn't know and then have the audacity to ask her to walk nearly a quarter mile in the dark to pick up....not drugs or alcohol...treats for her kids.
Tonight, this same woman purchased a pair of shoes from me which I had paid nearly $30 for when Lucy was five. They are nearly brand new, as she never wore them. I have decided to give them to her. She doesn't know yet, and I hope she is not embarrassed. I think I will just hand her the bag and wink. :)
Anyhoo, the moral of this story has absolutely NOTHING to do with me.
It's the fact that, after explaining the situation to those two chronic back seat complainers (kids have no money or toys, probably only a little food, no Wii games, etc.), I got prayers for the family from Henry that they receive food and water and toys and blankets and Wii games and we got volunteerism of some of their most beloved toys from both of them!!!!!!!!!
What had begun so annoyingly turned out to be such a teachable moment!!!!! I was crying openly in the van, telling them how proud I was of each of them. Chris, I think, was also in tears. All the frustration in my heart turned to gladness that they are such loving children. They thought Mommy and Daddy were being boring, but they realized that we were helping families in need, if even in a small way.
So, if the snow doesn't kill us tomorrow, I have a stuffed frog Henry wishes to donate along with Lucy's Polly Pockets.
God bless children and their humble, innocent hearts....I wish we were all like them, all the time.
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