Kindness

Today we planted strawberries, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli in pots on our balcony (more on that later). I wanted to get some gravel to fill the bottom of the pots with to reduce the chance of root rot and I decided to go to Home Depot. Apparently a lot of other people had the same idea because the gravel situation was...messy.

There was a lot of gravel, but it was all up on a high platform and many of the bags I could reach were almost empty because people had grabbed them the wrong way and created massive holes. My first attempt to get a bag down resulted in a storm of pebbles hitting the concrete by my feet. The decent bags were back farther, and high, and because I am so short it was nearly impossible to grab one (they were also very, very heavy which is a problem for obvious reasons).

A nice middle-aged man who was all the way down at the other end of the outdoor center came over to the gravel bags. I saw him reach waaaaay back and grab an intact bag, then turn to me and put it in my cart. He didn't speak English but he communicated to me that it was for me. I was so taken aback that I was only able to splurt out a jumbled, "Oh, thank you!" before he turned away and walked all the way back to what he had been previously doing.

It seems that I have been meeting a slew of people lately who have been extra kind to me. I know this has everything to do with my pregnancy, since I am so obviously pregnant this late in the game, but it is wonderful to know there are people out there who not only see a need but act on it.

The man who helped me today did not do it for my praise or because anyone was watching him. It was not particularly convenient for him. If he had not helped me, the world would not have ended; I would have been able to find an employee to heft a bag down for me. He knew this, but he did it anyway.

My problem became his solution.

What a powerful reminder to me, and what a powerful example of the way Christ would have us be. Service doesn't need to be big or excessively laudable. It may be only a drop in the world's solution bucket, but it is a drop that wouldn't have been there even so. I must remember to take notice of other people even when the reason I am out and about is for myself.