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I
walked into the grocery store not particularly interested in
buying groceries. I
wasn’t hungry. The pain of losing my husband of 37 years was
still too raw. And this grocery store held so many sweet memories.
Rudy
often came with me and almost every time he’d pretend to go
off and look for something special.
I knew what he was up to.
I’d always spot him walking down the aisle with the
three yellow roses in his hands.
Rudy
knew I loved yellow roses.
With a heart filled
with grief, I only wanted to buy my few items and leave, but
even grocery shopping was different since Rudy had passed on
Shopping for one took time, a little more thought than it had
for two.
Standing
by the meat, I searched for the perfect small steak and
remembered how Rudy had loved his steak.
Suddenly a woman
came up beside me. She
was blond, slim and lovely in a soft green pantsuit. I watched
as she picked up a large pack of T-bones, dropped them in her
basket, hesitated, and then put them back.
She turned to go and once again reached for the pack of
steaks. She saw me
watching her and she smiled. “My
husband loves T-bones, but honestly, at these prices, I
don’t know.” I
swallowed the emotion down my throat and met her pale blue eyes.
“My husband passed away eight days ago,” I
told her. Glancing
at the package in her hands, I fought to control the tremble in
my voice. “Buy
him the steaks. And
cherish every moment you have together.”
She shook her head and I saw the emotion in her eyes as
she placed the package in her basket and wheeled away.
I turned and pushed my cart across the length of the
store to the dairy products.
There
I stood, trying to decide which size milk I should buy. A quart, I finally decided and moved on to the ice cream
section near the front of the store.
If nothing else, I
could always fix myself an ice cream cone.
I placed the ice cream in my cart and looked down the
aisle toward the front.
I
saw first the green suit, and then recognized the pretty lady
coming towards me. In
her arms she carried a package.
On
her face was the brightest smile I had ever seen.
I would swear a soft halo encircled her blond hair as she
kept walking toward me, her eyes holding mine.
As she came closer, I saw what she held and tears began
misting in my eyes. “These
are for you,” she said and placed three beautiful long stemmed
yellow roses in my arms. “When you go through the line, they will know these are
paid for.”
She leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on my cheek,
then smiled again.
I
wanted to tell her what she’d done, what the roses meant, but
still unable to speak, I watched as she walked away as tears
clouded my vision. I
looked down at the beautiful
roses nestled in the green tissue wrapping and found it almost
unreal. How did she
know?
Suddenly
the answer seemed so clear.
I wasn’t alone.
“Oh, Rudy, you haven’t forgotten me, have you?” I
whispered, with tears in my eyes.
He
was still with me, and she was his angel.
BE THANKFUL
Everyday
be thankful for what you have and who
you are.
Even
though I clutch my blanket and growl when
the alarm rings, thank
you,
Lord, that I can hear. There are many who
are deaf.
Even
though I keep my eyes closed against the
morning light as long as
possible,
thank you, Lord, that I can see.
Many
are blind.
Even
though I huddle in my bed and put off
rising, thank you, Lord
that I
have
the strength to rise. There
are many who
are bedridden.
Even
though the first hour of my day is hectic,
when socks are lost,
toast
is burned and tempers are short, my children
are so loud, thank
you,
Lord, for my family. There
are many who are
lonely.
Even
though our breakfast table never looks
like the pictures in
magazines
and the menu is at times unbalanced,
thank you, Lord, for the
food
we
have. There are
many who are hungry.
Even
though the routine of my job often is
monotonous, thank you,
Lord,
for the opportunity to work. There are many who
have no job.
Even
though I grumble and bemoan my fate from
day to day and wish my
circumstances
were not so modest, thank you,
Lord, for life!
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