I ran a few errands that evening before Thanksgiving Day. I shopped at the grocery store, my favorite dollar store, and the hardware store.

No, I wasn’t shopping for Thanksgiving fodder. I just needed a couple of items. Then, off to the hardware store. I looked for some ‘plain-old-everyday white wall-paint.’ That’s what the instructor called it in a how-to video I watched Tuesday night, wall paint. Mercy! A quart of the stuff starts at $17, so I got the sample size. Yes, ounce for ounce it’s a bit more costly, but since I’m not sure this project will proceed beyond one use, I thought the smaller quantity to be the best choice. I plan on making chalk paint. Yes, I know I can buy ready-made chalk paint, but I didn’t want a quart of the stuff. Besides, I might want to make other colors. I searched online about how to make chalk paint and found several sites and recipes. 

Finally, I ended up at my dollar store. I chatted with several strangers, one of whom makes and designs cakes. I was sad that he didn’t have a business card. I love to support small businesses (Don’t forget to shop and support your favorite small business this Saturday – the Saturday after Thanksgiving is the designated, nationwide day to honor and support them). Then, I chatted with another lady who was beyond beautiful. I told her so! Then there was a little guy, maybe two years old, wearing a lil red Santa or Gnome hat. Cute to the enth degree. I picked up some odds and ends and headed for checkout. The cashier was gorgeous, and I told her so. She was a bit sad as this was her first Christmas without her mom. Those firsts are always hard, aren’t they? We chatted, and she was so kind. I told her that I appreciated her. She said that she ran across so many people who were bent on not only being miserable but were determined to spread it everywhere they went.

I finished up my shopping and went home. I made myself a waffle for supper.

I savored every bite of my little butter-laden, maple syrup-drowned waffle. Yummy! While I enjoyed my breakfast for supper and scrolled through Social Media, I thought back to the evening of errands. It seemed to me that “this year” people were in better holiday moods than I’ve seen in years past. I wondered why. We’ve all seen and heard those people gripe about the commercialization of Christmas and other such excuses. I suppose this might be true. But I chose to think about the real meaning of Christmas. The coming to earth of the Christ Child. The One who would be our Savior. And commercial or not, I am choosing to be happy. To be content in my life. To see the good in people. Yes, we all need Christ, and I guess that many people I encountered don’t know my Lord. But what I do know is that NO ONE wants to hear about Jesus from a grumbling, complaining, ill-mannered, grumpy person.

All of the people I encountered that evening were kind and friendly. Even the people in the busy, overcrowded grocery store were pleasant. I don’t know if I made a difference or not. Maybe I was looking through rose-colored glasses? Perhaps kindness begets kindness.

Proverbs 17:22 tells us, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”

If you encounter someone who seems sad or appears to have a broken spirit or maybe a broken heart, treat them with kindness. You just might be the first kind person they’ve met today or all week.