Honey, are you all right?” I heard a gentle voice ask. I had been so engrossed in my own thoughts that I hadn’t even noticed the woman who was shopping along side of me. Suddenly I felt her hand as she reached towards me and rested it upon my shoulder. “Are you all right? Honey, are you a little short of cash? Why don’t you just let me…?”

I slowly dropped my hands from my face and looked into the eyes of

the silvery haired woman who waited for my answer. “Oh, no, thank you ma’am.” I said while wiping my tears, trying to gather my composure. “I have enough money.”

“Well, Honey, what is it then?” she persisted.

“It’s just that I’m kind of overwhelmed. I’m here shopping for groceries so that I can bring my children home from the hospital tomorrow.”

“Home from the hospital! What a celebration that shall be. Why, you should have a party!”

Within minutes this stranger had befriended me. She took my crumpled up grocery list, smoothed it out, and became my personal shopper. She stayed by my side until each item on my list was checked off. She even walked me to my car helping me as I placed the groceries in my trunk. Then with a hug and a smile, she sent me on my way.

It was shortly after midnight, while lugging the groceries into my house, that I realized the lesson this woman had taught me. “My kids are coming home from the hospital!”I shouted with joy. “Joel is off life support and functioning on a

monitor. Jenna and I can learn how to manage her diabetes and give her shots properly. And just as

God met my needs in a grocery store, He will meet each and every need we have. What a reason to celebrate.” I giggled to myself. —beliefnet.com (concluded)