I've mentioned before how difficult it is taking Caleb out of the house now that winter is upon us. The following are the steps we must take before leaving the house:
1) Gather Caleb's snack, water, all of our winter clothing, and my purse.
2) Put my own coat on and sling my purse across my shoulder.
3) Gather Caleb in my lap, put on his shoes, and wrangle his arms into his coat sleeves. Put on his hat and mittens.
4) I can forget my gloves, because no way can I grip him through his winter coat with gloves on my fingers. Put on my sunglasses, grab bag with snack and extra diaper, grab keys, scoop up Caleb.
5) Go down two flights of stairs.
6) Wrestle Caleb into his car seat. This never bothered him before, but with all the winter gear, you can bet it does now. Did you know you are not supposed to buckle a child into a car seat with their coat on? You're not. I do it anyway because there's not much room in my backseat to put a coat on and off.
Then, my favorite once we get there, hold Caleb while attempting to put the cart cover on the cart with one hand. (Yes, I can put him down, but today I did it and he fell down.)
Grocery shopping has become an unpleasant chore, because I am usually totally depleted when all is said and done. First I must carry Caleb in. Then all the bags of groceries. Did I mention that I have to buy gallons of water at the store because we have a problem with copper in our water, and we cannot drink from the tap? So add all that water to the list of things to lug.
Today, I was weary by the time I got to the car. Then when we arrived at the store, I came upon an unexpected scene. It was crowded! I normally go Monday morning at about 8:15, and it is usually pretty dead. The employees all know me; the deli guy has my cheese ready for me when he sees me coming. Today, it was a mess, filled with people, all talking about the upcoming storm this week.
After I waited on an eternal grocery line, and thank heavens Caleb was calm and patient, we went to the car to unload the cart. As I was lifting him out of the cart, his shoe came off, and a very nice older lady parked diagonally to me came over and offered to load my trunk for me. I didn't know what to say. "Well, if you really want to, sure," was the only thing I could come up with. I proceeded to put Caleb in the car seat while she unloaded the entire cart for me. As we finished, I thanked her profusely and said, "God bless you. I think God knew I needed that today." Then she gave me a hug. This perfect stranger, whom I had never met, reached out to give me a hug. I hugged her back. Then she went to put my cart away for me.
I wanted to ask for her phone number. I wanted to find out where she lived and if she lived close. I wanted to know if she wouldn't mind looking in on a stay-at-home mom with her toddler and drop by for a cup of tea. I wanted to know if she'd be my friend.
Of course, I didn't ask any of those things. It was freezing, and it was time to get Caleb home. And even though I still had the chore of lugging Caleb into the house, as well as my grocery bags, the task didn't seem quite as daunting.
God game me a hug today, in human form. Lately I've been very tired. I have never been physically strong. I was always the last person picked for teams in gym class. Grocery shopping, which used to be relatively simple, has become an increasing burden lately, one that I am starting to dread rather than enjoy. But in all honesty, I felt like this sweet lady was God's gift to me. Thank you, Lord. Thank you for showing me that you notice me and care about me, even in the everyday, mundane routines of life.
And who knows? Maybe that sweet lady will cross my path once again. I sure hope so.
