It shouldn’t be hard to find angels this time of year, but sometimes in all the stress of celebrating it’s easy to miss some. Today a friend shared a story that reminded me just how many angels are all around.
She was in the drugstore with her little boy, having just come from Urgent Care to get him medication for a virus. While Iain fussed beside her, she couldn’t wait to get him home to warm soup, a warm bed and a nice nap.
“Mommy, look!” Iain said when they got close to the register. He pointed at a row of toy cars for sale. “Can I have one? Please?”
“No, Iain. You have plenty of cars,” she said. “Besides, it’s very close to Christmas. Who knows what Santa will bring you?”
Iain accepted his mother’s decision, but it didn’t help his mood. Now he was tired, hungry, achy and disappointed.
When they got up to the counter, the lady at the register handed Iain one of the toy cars. “The woman in front of you in line bought this for you,” she said. “I rang up the yellow one, but you can have any one you want.”
I looked around for our mysterious benefactor, but whoever she was, she was long gone. “That was very nice of that lady,” I said. “Maybe we can do something nice for someone else today.”
“Yes, we should!” Iain agreed, clutching his car. The unexpected kindness made him feel better than any medicine could. That story made me feel great too.
In my job I expect to find angels everywhere, but each one is its own special surprise.
