just like that

So this morning started crappy. We came home last night to find that we had no power, and it had been out for a couple hours so no dry laundry. Power didn't come on until around 4am, and all the lights we didn't realize had been left on awakened us. Thanks to the darkness and lack of Netflix availability I did manage to get eight hours of sleep though, so it hurt a little less when the power went out again this morning before the coffee could finish brewing. Whatever, I'm over it. Although I did curse Tuesdays, until my husband reminded me that it's actually a Wednesday.

We got it together and were out the door, late, of course. On the way to the car Beau and I found a stranded worm destined to become bacon and I picked him and carried him to a little patch of wet dirt. As we stood over the worm proud of our good deed, a sparrow flew out of the nearby bushes right over our heads and snatched the worm from in front of us and was then gone. I screamed, of course, because seriously birds are freaky. Beau was traumatized, I was traumatized he cried over the worm all the way to car... and then for a little while longer just to make sure we got the point.

From there we went to Walmart, and days I haul my kids through Walmart alone are never good days. They're exhausting, sucky, hard work filled days. I pushed their whiney butts up and down aisles and through the check out then back out to the car to load a million groceries and three wild animals. Just as I was loading the baby in the woman who was parked next to me walked up and stood waiting to get in her car. I quickly cleared all my kids and stuff from her side so she could load her bags and leave. She commented on how tired I looked, and yep no coffee this morning so I look like death. She commented on how busy I looked, I juggled my two year old and four year old and diaper bag and answered yep, I was pretty busy. Then she did something unexpected...

This woman put her things in her car then came back around to my cart and asked what she could do to help me. I think my jaw hit the ground. People always comment on how exhausted I look, or how hard it must be to have three kids so young and so close together in age. I've never had someone stop and help. She loaded all my groceries while I strapped the kids into their seats and I thanked her over and over and then she left. You know what? Just like that my day was better and just a little easier and I'm thankful. I feel like I'm carrying a torch of kindness, or something cheesy like that, maybe I'll be out without my kids someday and can pay it forwarded to another stressed momma who just needs a little help.