Blessed by Strangers

Thanksgiving was a week ago, and when it was my turn to share what I’m thankful for, I gave the typical answer of family and friends. Although this is what most people say, it really is true of me. I was especially thankful for the Mitchell family for hosting me two years in a row. However, when our small group the other night was sharing what we were thankful for, the people who popped into my head were not those whom I know and love dearly, but the random strangers that I’ve met who have blessed me simply with a smile or some act of kindness that made my day. Here are a few of the people who I distinctly remember from the recent past, although there have been many more:

•The lady at Walgreens who sent me back to get a honey bottle three times as big as the one I was purchasing because it was cheaper and contained more.

•The lady at CVS who printed out six extra copies of Megan’s passport photos, giving her $30 worth of pictures for free.

•The woman who exchanged Megan’s glasses at Walmart without even asking how they were broken.

•JP, who gave us ten dollars off our Office Depot purchase even though the coupon was eight days expired and it didn’t even originally apply to our items.

•The girl at Sam’s (Wheaton’s coffee shop) who completed my caramel macchiato with a caramel smiley face instead of a caramel drizzle.

•My barista friend at Caribou who gave me a free hot spicy mocha because I hadn’t tried it before.

Most of these people I will never see again, but I am so thankful for them. They always inspire me to do something to make someone else’s day in the same way they touched mine.