Encounter at Walmart

I feel that there is an angel inside me whom I am constantly shocking. ~Jean Cocteau

I am no saint by any stretch of the imagination. But, I do believe in angels. And, some times I think we, the ordinary people, can be an angel to someone else. And, some times, we get much more than we give.

We were in dire need of groceries after being out of town all weekend. So, I went to Walmart to load up on some essentials. Plus, I needed to pick up socks. Rachel and Anna's school requested each student to bring in a pair of white socks. These would be donated to local nursing homes. While looking at the socks at Walmart, a woman approached me. Honestly, she startled me somewhat as I was really focusing on the socks at that particular moment. She tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a card which had a short note written in broken English. In summary, the card stated that she was a refugee and in need of money for food for her family which included four children. Now, I've been approached by others with similar sad tales. But, this was a bit different. There was something about this woman that made me pause. She looked like an immigrant and appeared to be in her early 40s. She didn't speak to me so I assumed she didn't speak much, if any, English. Not the typical panhandler....she didn't wreak of alchohol. There was something about her; her expression was one of a woman desperately in need. I decided to give her some money but I couldn't remember if I had any cash. I opened my wallet and found a single $20 bill. I took the money out and gave it to her. She touched me again on my shoulder and then turned and walked away. I was watching her as she walked away; partly because I wanted to see where she would go and partly because I wondered what she would do next. She was walking slowly, almost as if she was tired. And, she was in my direct line of sight. I looked down only momentarily to find my wallet zipper to ensure it was closed. I could not have looked down more than a second. When I looked back up, she was gone. There was no way she could've disappeared that quickly. I even left my shopping cart and walked around the area where she approached me up to the front of the store and there was no sign of her. It was almost as if she vanished into thin air right in front of me. It simply defied reason.

I'm not a crazy person....despite what some people may think. And, I'm not a regular on the nightly news reporting U.F.O. sightings or being kidnapped by aliens either. OK....so I did live in an RV for a period of time but that doesn't mean I've completely lost my sense of reason. I'm telling you....there was no way she could've physically walked away that quickly and disappeared like that. She was right in front of me....couldn't have been no more than five feet away when I briefly looked down. And, then she just vanished.

Later, I asked the cashier while checking out if they had a problem with panhandling and she said, "no." Or, at least, there had been no regular or recent complaints.

So, I'm left to ponder what transpired in Walmart tonight. Did God test me tonight? If so, why in Walmart of all places? Was that woman real? If so, was she really in need of the money for her family or was she just another crook on the take? And, how did she disappear so quickly? Things that make you go hmmmmmmmm.

In the end, I was glad I gave her the money. Not because I may have passed a good Samaritan test. But, because I didn't need it. And, apparently she did. I may have given away money but in return I was reminded of how blessed I am. I have a roof over my head. My family has more food than they can eat. We have jobs. And, we live in a country where we are free. And, last but certainly not least....we have our health. This woman reminded me of how blessed my family is. And, I thanked God that I'm not a refugee that has to approach a stranger in Walmart begging so that my family may eat tonight.