I'd Like to Tell You a Holiday Story

[queenoftheskies]

Cause I'm a big sap and I just love holiday stories.

Today, I went to the bank to draw out money so I could get money orders for my rent. The bank happened to be inside an Albertsons store that was JAM PACKED because of an 8 hour special sale.

I went to get my money orders and then discovered they had 24-packs of dietCoke for $3.99. Wow! I had to get two.

I got in one of the monstrously LONG lines and dug in to wait.

A few minutes later, an elegant looking older lady looked around, saw me standing several people behind her and asked if I'd like to get in front of her since I only had two items and she was waiting for someone.

I thanked her, took my place, and noticed a tiny little terrier of some sort in the child seat of her basket. It was adorable and I baby-talked it like I'm prone to do. She smiled, but didn't say anything, which seemed strange cause dog people usually like it when you make over their pet.

I put my groceries up on the check-out and the line moved up some. I heard another lady join her and the lady tell her to put her groceries up first.

I glanced around and discovered a lady older than me that seemed very nervous (she was talking fast and all aflutter) and not quite as well-off as most. She had bad teeth, her hair was unkept, and her clothing was old and worn.

I smiled at her and the line moved up again.

She started talking about the little dog, which was hers, and how she couldn't get a place to live because nobody would take her and her dog and she couldn't give up her dog.

Then came the part that surprised me. The homeless woman asked the well-dressed woman, "What did you say your name was?"

As we moved up further and it was my turn in line, I heard the rest of the story. Or, part of it. The part I learned was that these two women didn't know each other, but the woman who had enough was buying groceries (and items for the dog, too!) for the woman who had nothing.

It gave me chills.

And, it made me very thankful that, even though life sometimes seems really hard, I still have my kids, my cats, my job, my home, my car, and enough food to eat.

Happy Holidays!

Comments

[i-amsherlocked.livejournal.com]

oh! that just brought tears to my eyes! Thank you for posting that!

[erneuerung.livejournal.com]

That's ridiculously sweet. I'm glad there are people out there with enough money and enough kindness to be able to give to others.

And thank you for sharing such a wonderful, inspiring story.

[tunskit.livejournal.com]

That is so sad, but I can relate. I wouldn't move somewhere that wouldn't take my dogs too. John and I were at a Taco Bell about five years ago. I'd had half my taco left and planned to take it home for our dog Toby. We saw a homeless man and his dog sitting out front, and I offered the taco to the dog instead. He scarfed it down in seconds, and it was clear they were both hungry. We went on our way, but it haunted me, and by the time we got home, I knew we had to do something, even if it was only short-term. So, we got a bag of dog food and stopped by the grocery store to buy some basic staples, like bread, peanut butter, etc. It must have been fate, because when we came out, the man and Shiela (the dog) had walked to the store. We gave them the food and learned he'd had a job and a regular life just a few weeks before. After getting fired, he'd lost his apartment and had headed up from UT, trying to make it someplace warmer before the end of the summer. His car had died halfway, and they had walked to Boise. He couldn't go to the shelter because they wouldn't take Sheila, and the humane society wouldn't let her stay temporarily. He had to sign her over if he took her there, but he wouldn't. I admired him so much for that. I wish we could have done more for them. To this day, I still remember the name of the dog, though I have forgotten his name. Whenever I see a homeless animal, it gets to me, but there's something so poignant about a homeless human still taking care of their pets.

I'd better stop before I start crying thinking about all the people and animals without families, food, and homes this Xmas.

Yep, I'm happy for those as well.......

[dracschick.livejournal.com]

I always say "A good day is when no one's in the hospital" because I have an old parent. So yeah.

[mrsroberts.livejournal.com]

Thank you for posting about this incident. It makes me feel grateul too.

[frigg.livejournal.com]

That was lovely, thanks for sharing.