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Health & Fitness

The Frantic Search For A Missing Shopping Cart

“I know I saw your cart right there, too…” I uttered softly to an older lady who was baffled where her shopping cart went as we both paced up and down the aisle of different brands of lotions and shampoos. I ended up following her as I struggled to push my heavy cart filled with the needed supply of bottled water, some fruits, and paper towels. My heart, for some reason, with the mommy instinct, felt a pinch and started hoping that it wasn’t my child who accidentally grabbed her cart. Seeing her desperation as she still didn’t find her cart on the next aisle, I overtook her as I went to a specific aisle to find my child and prove that my “gut feeling” was not true. But... The feeling never waned…

He had been on vacation and he always volunteered to help me out with my errands without being told.

Seeing the lady now on the corner of my right eye, her neck stretched higher a bit and her eyes started probing beyond a few of the shoppers up ahead in the distance. I could feel her frustration and desperation as her eyebrows arched higher, squinting her eyes, she briefly glanced where I was as if silently asking for my help still to help her relocate her missing shopping cart.

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Before I started turning my head to the left, in hopes of finding my child, a loud “I’m so sorry…” kept echoing in the narrow aisle, the voice’s volume increasing as a shadow that appeared like my child approached the lady and I. I told the lady who the culprit was, that he mistakenly grabbed her cart and my apology joined that of my child in a loud chorus. I was waiting for her reaction, praying she would not be so upset at him.

I heard a loud sigh, her eyes still squinting... At that time I wasn’t sure if it was induced by anger or still from the ebbing tides of her frustrated search. My heart on a suspense, as I held my breath, I saw a faint smile slowly appeared on her face before I finally released another apology and thanked her for her understanding.

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Her figure was long gone as my child and I started laughing together. Out of nervousness we both had, laughter must have released that specific valve to let out the pressure that built up. As the laughter died down, I talked to my child that I knew he had good intentions of helping me. But he assumed that a cart nearby was mine so without thinking, just grabbed it and off he went to the aisle where we needed one final item. I told him I was thankful that the lady didn’t leave her purse on her cart as I saw most shoppers do on my grocery days. Or else…we wouldn’t have known the “ugly scene” that could have possibly occurred…

My child apologized and told me it would never happen again. I wrapped my arms around him as I sensed a mixture of embarrassment and a sense of guilt for assuming when many times he was told to “never assume.” I told him I loved him as we both laughed again in unity. All the way out towards our parked car. I couldn’t help but express one more thing as I shut the door closed and he started the engine.

That I was proud of him for trying to search who owned that cart when he realized the mistake he made. To apologize to that poor lady and not just leave the cart somewhere. Because that was the RIGHT thing to do…

That is true courageTo do the right thing…Even if it’s scary. Because in this life’s journey, one has to make a lot of decisions. And it takes courage to make the right choices. Each time. Knowing One sees it all. Not the physical appearance. But He sees the heart.

“In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge.” – Proverbs 14:26 (NKJV)




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