The Spirit of Christmas

I have to share what happened just now to me at Walmart. First a bit of back story for those who were so generous to me today.

I try not to boo-hoo on my blog about my current life circumstances but rather write poetry as a way to heal from within. But those who were kind need to know how kind they were to me today and that couldn’t be spoken in a Walmart line a mile long.

The last two weeks I’ve had a hard time getting out of bed in the morning. I’ve lost my smile. I’ve lost my drive to be content in the ordinary everyday things. Most of it is just due to so many things coming at our family at once. Money, jobs, divorce in the extended family, and there’s talk of moving my mother to a new nursing home. My husband’s grandmother passed away two nights ago.

Ever been here? Where one more thing and you’ll snap. Lose it and throw your hands in the air and yell “I give up!” Yes, it could be worse. Yes, it could be better. Yes, I could be better at handling stress. And with all of it comes this rotten attitude festering deep down. Looking for a simple answer to get back on top to that finger snapping, foot stomping kind of mood.

So I’m in the Walmart line with this attitude boiling as the cashier is moving the pace of a snail. My eyes are rolling on the inside. A couple walks up behind me and he’s holding  a plush microfiber heated blanket. If you know me, then you know I talk to anyone. So I ask them about the blanket and how much it was. I mention how I’ve been wanting one of those since I use a heating pad to keep warm. What I didn’t tell them was that the last couple years I’ve had these unexplained chills that run down my spine while I sleep. I’ve chalked it up to my slow moving thyroid. But it gets to where the chills wake me.

Next thing you know the blanket in the box is put in my cart with a receipt tucked inside. While they were in line behind me, he snuck over to the self-checkout and bought me a blanket! I hugged her and cried while the cashier is now waiting on me! Lol.

Being given a thoughtful gift from total strangers was like a smile to my soul. It was also a kick in my rear to shape up my attitude…so I’m gonna try.

Sir, mam thank you from the bottom of my heart for reminding me of what Christmas is really about. May God bless you both!

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