Learning/Remembering

When I was newly married I went to the grocery store to get food for dinner.  As I approached my car a tiny woman and her arm tight around her boy, who wasn't probably older than six or seven, came up to me.  She held out a notecard that told me that she was wondering if I could spare any money because they were hungry.  I stammered through my apologies and said I didn't.  She smiled sadly, nodded her head that she understood and they were on their way.  I loaded my two grocery bags into my car and sat there feeling awful.  I should have given her my groceries.  I had chicken, tortillas, stuff for a salad.  I should have gone across the parking lot to my bank and gotten $20 out of the ATM.  But I didn't.  I should have.  I deliberated with myself for a good few minutes about what I should do and I decided that I ought to try to find her, but she was nowhere to be seen.  I've carried that with me all these years.  I still feel awful just thinking about it.  The look in her eyes, in her son's eyes.  They weren't out to scam me, they were genuinely hungry and needed some help and I was too afraid to do anything.  

I've thought about that story a lot lately, about that desire to help but being afraid to do so for whatever reason.  I've often thought that Heavenly Father sent her to me to see what I would do.  Of course He knew what I would do, but maybe He intended it as a teaching moment that I would carry with me.

I had another experience in a grocery store parking lot.  I had taken the kids to the store to get some milk and other supplies.  We pulled into the parking lot and in the spot in front of us was a man who was being assisted by what looked like an off duty nurse.  Store employees were standing in the parking lot looking like they were waiting for something.  A man, with his young son, was on his cellphone talking to 911.  Not long after that two fire trucks and an ambulance pulled into the parking lot.  I was struck with the desire to help him even though he was obviously taken care of.  I noticed other people slowing down as they passed him, some lingering around, as if they too wanted to help but realizing they were not needed.  

I thought the humanness of those experiences was interesting.  They remind me that we are all connected.  We are all children of God.  And somewhere deep down we all want to help others who need it because we are brothers and sisters.