Earlier this year we shared a story about a woman named Lisa Lemming Jackson who was shopping at a Kroger supermarket. She happened to notice a man who, as he locked eyes with her, seemed as if he needed something. She kindly asked if she could help him. It was this act of kindness that led to a chain reaction from not only her but the supermarket staff that was working that day. Lisa’s story is as follows:
“Just spent 2 hours with an elderly man at Kroger. It started with me just smiling at him, making eye contact…. As I walked past him he looked like he needed something. I went back and asked him if I could help him.”
“Tears welled up in his eyes and he said, ‘I have colon cancer and I have had a really bad accident, if I get up out of this cart everyone will know … What should I do?’ The look of his dignity lost left me with a lump in my throat.”
“From that moment on, Kroger staff quickly fetched us wipes, undergarments and discreetly took him to their employer bathroom Area where he was given clothes. He cried and apologized. He said he had to hurry his wife was at home alone. When we walked to the register we found his groceries all bagged and somehow paid for. He cried harder.”
“He said he fought in Vietnam and Korean War and loved his country, but up until today he said he thought his country forgot about him. We both cried and I shared with him my own struggles and fears…”
“He gave me words of wisdom and encouraged me that maybe after all, humanity still does care about one another. Today proved it. Thank you Elmer, thank you Kroger and thank you God for the lesson and reminder I received today.”
Let us use this story as a reminder to be kind. We may not always know what someone is going through, but a smile and an offer to help can do wonders in making this world a better place.
