Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Good People in the World

Dayton and I made a trip to the dollar store the other day for a newspaper because they cost... you guessed it- one dollar. Anyway, we encountered some kind people in this short, pleasant trip.

When we walked in, a man came in behind us and he noticed me carrying Dayton. He said that Dayton looked like the joy of my life. Of course he's a joy! Well a few minutes later while Dayton was browsing the toy aisle, the same man came to find us and handed me a bag of valentine's candy (with a receipt so the store wouldn't think I was stealing it). He said it was for Dayton. I said thank you and that Dayton would LOVE the candy, but he didn't need to give it to us. The man, about to cry, said he has a daughter about Dayton's age that he doesn't get to see. My heart was filled with both gratitude and sorrow for this nice man.

Then standing in line to pay for the paper, the lady in front of me asked the cashier about coloring crayons. She said she looked everywhere and couldn't find any, but she really needed some. The cashier told her where they were, but she was already paying. I offered to run to grab her a box if she'd like. So Dayton and I went and retrieved the crayons (which actually were not difficult to locate). The lady was so thankful that she handed me a dollar! She said she wanted to pay for the candy Dayton was carrying! I told her the candy was already paid for, so she said to use it for whatever. She was just touched that I did something for her.

So we returned home from the store with a bag of candy and a newspaper without paying for either one. Plenty of wonderful people are around us everyday. To find them, you just have to be friendly!

Dayton eating his candy

10 comments:

Gary and Kirsten said...

I know that someday you are going to be the one offering a kind gesture towards someone else. I hope you didn't let Dayton eat all that candy in one day.

Laurel said...

We all need to pay it forward a little more often. Thanks for the reminder.

Derrick M said...

Wow, we should put our kids out on the street more often. They'll be able to pay my tuition!

Rock, Paper, Scissors said...

Good thinking Derrick!

Michelle you are just such a ray of sunshine. While I am completely touched by the chain reaction, I am not surprised you and your son were at the center of it.

"This little light of mine . . ."

Kaili McKay said...

That warmed my heart. It's true if you are just more friendly you can see and do more of the good around you. Love that pic of Dayton he looks like "who me."

Kaili McKay said...

oh yeah...Naughty thinking Derrick! :)

Unknown said...

Wow! Such a great story! Kindness sure goes a long way. It is great to hear about good things that happen!

Serena said...

hahahaha Cute pic of Dayton. I love days like that!

The Rinkels said...

That's so sweet. Thanks for sharing it. It's a great reminder - and helps balance all the bad news we hear through the media.

The Hamilton House said...

I love stories like this! People need to hear them more often. You always were a kind person so it doesn't surprise me you offered to take a minute to find crayons for someone.