Walmart on Halloween

Today I made a trip to a Walmart. It is one of my least favorite places to visit.
Walmart on a regular afternoon is not fun. Walmart on Halloween is a nightmare.

I realize there are no written rules about how to push a grocery cart but there should be.
Kids loaded up on too much candy were darting every which way.
Trying to navigate my way to the candy aisle took some guts, actually entering the candy aisle was down right scary.

By the time I found the twenty two items I had come for (thus disqualifying me from the express lane) I was mildly annoyed and more than ready to leave.

When I got in line the people in front of me had already put their things on the belt. They didn't have much so I thought it would go quickly.

I waited and waited.

After a few minutes the dad turned to me and said, "I'm very sorry this is taking so long, we just qualified for WIC today and this is our first time doing this."

His wife also apologized.
Their two little children sat there quietly as they sorted out the paperwork.

A sense of compassion and gratitude came over me.
I felt for them. These are hard times for many people. How humbling it must be to have to ask for help with food.

I also felt so grateful that we have plenty for our needs. I know I need to be much more generous with the things I have been given and I made a commitment right then to do better.

A little family, just trying to get by. Humility, patience, love for their kids.
Those are the things that came to my mind as I watched them today.

It was a good reminder to keep things in their proper perspective.
To remember to be kind, you never know the struggles that others may be experiencing. It made me wish I had been a little nicer and more patient back on the candy aisle.

I'm thankful for a little life lesson that came from visiting Walmart on Halloween.