This made me cry.

Some people snorted a man standing behind me in the long line at the
grocery store.

'You would think the manager would pay attention and open another line,
said a woman.
I looked to the front of the line to see what the hold up was and saw a
well dressed, young woman, trying to get the machine to accept her credit
card. No matter how many times she swiped it, the machine kept rejecting
it.

'It's one of them welfare card things. Damn people need to get a job like
everyone else,' said the man standing behind me. The young woman turned
around to see who had made the comment.   'It was me,' he said,
pointing to himself.
The young lady's face began to change expression. Almost in tears, she
dropped the welfare card onto the counter and quickly walked out of the
store. Everyone in the checkout line watched as! she be gan running to her
car. Never looking back, she got in and drove away.

After developing cancer in 1977 and having had to use food stamps; I had
learned never to judge anyone, without knowing the circumstances of their
life. This turned out to be the case today.

Several minutes later a young man walked into the store. He went up to the
cashier and asked if she had seen the woman. After describing her, the
cashier told him that she had run out of the store, got into her car, and
drove away.

'Why would she do that?' asked the man. Everyone in the line looked around
at the fellow who had made the statement.   'I made a stupid comment about
the welfare card she was using.  Something I shouldn't have said. I'm
sorry,' said the man.

'Well, that's bad, real bad, in fact.  Her brother was killed in
Afghanis! tan two years ago.
He had three young children and she has taken on that responsibility.
She's twenty years old, single, and now has three children to support, he
said in a very firm voice.

'I'm really truly sorry. I didn't know,' he replied, shaking both his
hands about.

The young man asked, 'Are these paid for?' pointing to the shopping cart
full of groceries. 'It wouldn't take her card,' the clerk told him.

'Do you know where she lives?' asked the man who had made the comment.

'Yes, she goes to our church.'

'Excuse me,' he said as he made his way to the front of the line. He
pulled out his wallet, took out his credit card and told the cashier,
'Please use my card. PLEASE!'  The clerk took his credit card and began to
ring up the young woman's groceries.

Hold on,' said the gentleman. He walked back to his sho! pping c art and
began loading his own groceries onto the belt to be included.  'Come on
people. We got three kids to help raise!' he told everyone in line.

Everyone began to place their groceries onto the fast moving belt. A few
customers began bagging the food and placing it into separate carts. 'Go
back and get two big turkeys,' yelled a heavyset woman, as she looked at
the man. 'NO,' yelled the man.    Everyone stopped dead in their tracks.
The entire store became quiet for several seconds. 'Four turkeys,' yelled
the man. Everyone began laughing and went back to work.

When all was said and done, the man paid a total of $1,646.57 for the
groceries. He then walked over to the side,  pulled out his check book,
and began writing a check using the bags of dog food piled near the front
of the store for a writing surface. He turned around and handed the check
to the young man.

'She will need a freezer and a f! ew othe r things as well,' he told the man.

The young man looked at the check and said, 'This is Really very generous
of you.'

'No,' said the man. 'Her brother was the generous one.'

Everyone in the store had been observing the odd commotion and began to
clap.  I drove home that day feeling very American.

We live in the Land of the free, because of the Brave!!! Remember our
Troops of Yesterday and Today!!!

A great example of why we should be kind and patient.

Kindness is the language the blind can see and the deaf can hear.

May God's many blessings continue to be with you  -  ALWAYS!!!


KEEP

[joann1975]

WOW...that is an amazing story. Did this really happen while you were there or did you read this somewhere? Just curious... still made me cry! LOL

Thanks for sharing and I think people should be considerate also and not judge so quickly!

[bandnmom]

OMG..tears in my eyes!!

[allaboutmary]

No No it didn't happen to me. I just got it in an e-mail. lol

[Mangee]

Whether this story is true or not, it says a lot about what we say and whether we should have said it. Sometimes we put our foot in our mouth without realizing it or because we are angry or just don't stop to think. Not all is as it seems. We cannot judge by appearance or because we are impatient. We can be better than that as the finally of the story tells us. The fact that many people gave of themselves to a stranger speaks well for the world but there are others who belie this and who are so full of themselves that the world suffers greatly because of them.

[joann1975]

I was just curious....it's a good story though! I hope in one way it really happened ... as far ask the kindness....not any deaths though....even though they happen. But you know what I mean!

Good Post!

[scaredmom330]

I cried, if only people were like this, without being told the truth,,,,kindness goes so far. thanks for the post, I loved it



Karen

[Savas]

Not to rant but with rents in NYC taking up over 3/4 of an average person's income (A studio goes for about $2,000-$2,500) many ny'rs ARE on food stamps.

Every single check out person I've spoken too at the markets is on food stamps at all.

God bless America, land of equality in poverty.

[Mangee]

For some, anyone being on  food stamps, is a blight on society. Where there are children concerned, single mothers or fathers, people who are having  trouble finding jobs or are in employment where the minimum rate is applied as well as the sick or elderly who are on a fixed income, who are using any form of welfare need not be ashamed. There is no stigma attached to those I have just named. The stigma is in the minds of those who unjustly condemn them. It brings to mind the old saying,"Do not condemn anyone until you have walked a mile in their shoes." It is easy to turn your nose up at those who are struggling to maintain a modicum of normal life. "There but for the grace of God go I." We say this at times but we could very well be in those shoes depending on circumstances. Where there is need there must be an outlet. Social assistance or welfare whatever name it goes by is that outlet. Without it many good people who are struggling due to a twist of fate would be laying in the dust while the,"Holier than thou," walk over their lifeless bodies. The story related by allaboutmary shows how a person's dilemma can be misinterpreted by a someone who has no knowledge of that person's position in life.