Helping Others

Every once in awhile my kids do something worth bragging about.

Today, we had two "bragg-able" moments.

The first happened while standing in line at Wal-Mart. There was a sweet old lady ahead of us in line. She was sitting on one of those riding-cart things. The basket was full, plus she had two hanging baskets of flowers on the front. I heard the cashier ask her how she was going to get everything outside. I gave Jake a "look", and my sweet son walked up to the lady and said "I can help you carry your stuff out."

The lady seemed shocked, but took him up on his offer. He came back inside just as I was paying. He had a big smile on his face, a dollar in his hand, and a story to tell:

Jake: "She paid me a dollar!"
Me: "Did you tell her she didn't have to pay you?"
Jake "Yes! I told her that wasn't necessary.. I think I'm turning into Dad. But she insisted."

He's right. Brad is always doing things for others, just because. He never expects to be paid. That's one of the things I love about him the most... that he is just a really nice guy. I'm so proud that Jake is following in his footsteps.

Jake and the lady had quite a conversation while walking to her car. She told him she lives on a farm, and Jake told her how much he'd love to live on a farm, but his sister won't let us move. I would have loved to hear their conversation. By the way, the dollar didn't last long... Jake splurged on a bag of M&M's, which were gone before we even got out of the parking lot. That's my "not-so-proud" moment!

But back to my proud mom moments...

Proud Mom Moment #2: As we were leaving Wal-Mart, we noticed a couple sitting at the edge of the parking lot. They were holding a sign saying they are disabled, and begging for cash. It caught Lexi's eye (even though we see them all the time, for some reason today, she noticed them).

Lexi: "What are they doing?"
Me: "Their sign says they're disabled. I suppose they're hoping people give them money."
Lexi: "Oh, that's sad."
Me: "Yes, it is. I don't have any cash, but we could give them an ice cream cone." (we had just bought a box of drumsticks for a treat and there were two left)
Lexi: "We should do that!"

So I turned around, and my sweet, not-so-shy Lexi hopped out of the van, ran across the street, and asked if they would like an ice cream cone. They smiled at her, took the cones and said "God bless you."

I have no idea if that couple really is disabled, or if they're running a scam. But what I do know, is they made my daughter's day. Lexi had a big smile on her face when she got back from her ice cream delivery.

And that reminded me how good it feels to help others.  tt can be something as simple as visiting with an elderly person, or giving someone an ice cream cone. Sometimes it's nice to do things just to be nice, not because you want recognition or money. We adults tend to forget that.

Thanks to my big kids for reminding me of the importance of being nice, and of helping others. And thanks to my big kids for giving me two "bragg-able" moments today!