A little bit of gratitude... just in time for Thanksgiving

After being on crutches for so long, it has been really frustrating. I do have to admit that I have been pleasantly surprised with the specturm of people out there. Sometimes (yesterday), I will be going into a store and the person directly in front of me will neglect to hold the door open and it will slam in my face. Then I struggle to reach the handle while still holding the crutches in the crook of my arm... interesting picture, I'm sure. But then, almost immediately following a person's total disregard an onlooker will give the manner-less a dirty look and run to hold open the door.

It's pretty funny to see different people's reaction to the crutches. Some people ignore, others stare (mostly kids), even a few observers have a look of pity. Today, I had a truly touching experience. Kaitlin and I went to WalMart to buy some holiday supplies. Kaitlin pushed the cart down the aisles, zig zagging her way through crowds and bumping into more than a few fellow customers. After my patience and budget had run out (both very thin) I stood in line just thinking about the difficulty in which I would have trying to get everything up on the conveyor belt. Literally, just as I was thinking that thought, the woman in front of me just started unloading my cart for me. The gratitude in my heart was bigger than it's capacity, I'm sure! What touched me so, was that the sweet woman did me a favor unbidden, with a smile and so selflessly. I thanked her profusely.

Being on crutches has been a pain at times, but being able to experience small acts of kindness has been a true gift.