Today I ventured over to Walmart. I do not like Walmart, I never go to Walmart. Well, my ways may be a changin' now.
I was carrying Grayci (my 3 year old daughter) from our car into Walmart. As we approached the entrance, a very rough looking (you know, long scraggly hair, long beard), elderly, big giant of a man came walking out. As he was walking towards us, Grayci noticed that he had "Funny Shoes" on. To her they were funny, because he had a prosthetic leg. She didn't know that wasn't his real leg, she just thought he had funny shoes. She started to point to him and say something. He looked at her at said "Well look who it is! (I don't think he really knew who she was, just making a comment) I have something for you." Now, I am very weary about taking things from strangers as my little sister who was 3, and I was 8, was almost kidnapped because of wanting to take something from a stranger. I digress. I figured that I was there with her, and she was in my arms, so we were safe. He started digging in his shirt pocket (I could hear the change jingling around) and I thought he was going to pull out a sticker or a penny or something of the sorts. He pulled out this gold coin. It is a Martin Van Buren 1$ coin. I just stood there, almost in tears (we were in the middle of the parking lot) not knowing what to do. He gave it to Grayci and said, "Go put it in your piggy bank ok?" Grayci said thank you and that she would.
Now, this is why I would go back to Walmart...my reasoning for not going is not because I don't like their goods or deals or have had bad experiences there. The reason I don't like Walmart is usually when I go, there are all sorts of odd people there. I get nervous when I'm around strange, odd people. I do my best not to judge, although sometimes I do in my mind. Today, I learned that each of us wear our own set of "funny shoes". It doesn't matter what is on the outside (which I've always known) but on the inside. I really learned a great lesson and feel blessed to have met the man with the funny shoes. By the way, Grayci now keeps telling me, "The man with the funny shoes gave me a gold coin!"
3 comments:
I love this... I think it is a great lesson about not judging others. Cause I know there are days that I just don't care and I go into Wal-mart, no make up, pajamas like attire and my favorite thing in the world...my slippers. I'm sure on those days I look like quite a sight.
And I do think we all wear our own set of "funny shoes" and we should wear them happily and with pride, even if they are slippers.
Sweet! Don't you just love the kindness of strangers sometimes!? PS: I go to the walmart in El Mirage as opposed to the one up on Bell. Much less crowded, I always park near the front, and I just always have a better experience.
I honestly thing you should turn this story into a book. It is super cute and there is a great lesson to be learned in the story.
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