Mrs. Deb

I spend a lot of time in Wal-Mart. Not gonna lie...kinda like it.

Most days, anyway.

Before we moved here, we lived reallllly close to Wal-Mart. Joshua loved to go and so we went several times a week. He would get upset if I went without him.

Grocery shopping with Joshua is a lot different from the way it used to be...you know, run in...run out. These days, we take it slow. He likes to push the buggy, and we go at his pace...and it's a blessing and a privilege.

He talks to everyone and reminds me of the things I forgot to put on our list. He makes friends with some of the checkers. The nice ones? We try to get in their lines every time.

There was one, Mrs. Deb. She was special. She was friendly to everyone...but she was REALLY friendly to Joshua. Not "fake friendly," but really, really genuinely sweet and interested in him. Joshua would start looking for her as soon as we walked in the door. He would make a mental note of where she was...and we would look for her lane after we were done shopping.

Sometimes, she was in the "express" line. Well, with 6 people in our family, THAT ain't happenin' very often. Just sayin'.

But if she saw him, she would speak and hug him. She got to know all about our family, and we got to know a little bit about hers. Joshua would tell her about Special Olympics and she would always say that she wanted to come. She never did...but she would remember to ask him about it, and he would bring in his medals for her to see.

Mrs. Deb was older...older than me, and I feel like the Ancient of Days around here. She was married and had a family...and grandchildren. She loved fishing...loved the beach...loved her mom. She talked about her mom getting cancer and how she took care of her in their home. She told us how they kept a small Christmas tree up all year in her Mom's room...and how, even after her Mom died, the kids and grandkids would pick up little ornaments and knick-nacks to put on the tree. She called it the Angel Tree. Joshua chose an angel ornament for it and we took it to Mrs. Deb the Christmas after her Mom passed away.

She loved spending time at the lake or the beach with her grandchildren...teaching them to fish, watching them swim and play. One year, she went to Gulf Shores and brought a cap back for Joshua. He still wears it and it still makes him sad.

Happy and sad...but mostly sad.

Joshua told her about Holly getting married and we invited her to come because she acted so interested. We would've loved it. But she didn't come. I don't blame her...I still looked for her tho...even with all the people there.

But something happened with Mrs. Deb. She fell. Hard. I can't remember how...but she never could get to feeling better. She tried to come back to work, but it was too soon. She took more time off. We saw her one day before she left...we were in the line at customer service. Returning something.

I can't remember what.

She came up and we talked. It was obvious that she did not feel well at all, and was in a lot of pain. This was a lady who was ALWAYS happy. She said she was leaving right then...to go home.

We missed her for a week or two after that. We got busy, like people do. I heard about a WM employee dying. We knew her, too.

But one day, I ran to WM real quick without Joshua. Logan was home because it was summer and I just let them both stay there. Morgan, Logan's girlfriend, was coming over for lunch and I just needed to get a few things.

I noticed that Mrs. Deb wasn't there...I kind of figured that she might be on her lunch break. The young girl checking me out casually mentioned what a hard week it had been. I asked her about it and she told me about Mrs. Anna passing away. And then she mentioned something about Mrs. Deb. I said, "she's okay, right?" The girl looked down and shook her head.

I can't even remember exactly what she said after that. Something about a massive heart-attack, and how her husband found her unresponsive. I couldn't breathe. I felt like I was going to be sick. Too close to home.

How am I supposed to tell Joshua? What am I supposed to say to his sweet face?

By this time the time I got home, Morgan was there with Logan. I went back to my room and tried to get control of myself. And then I went to tell Joshua...and we both cried. And Logan and Morgan came back to ask about it.

A profoundly sad day.

I pray that Mrs. Deb knew Jesus. I believe that she did. We talked often about our faith. Joshua is never shy about sharing about the Lord.

A couple of things I learned from this is, first...time is short. Don't waste an opportunity. Of course, there are many times when you will get the opportunity to cultivate a relationship with someone, but there will be other times when you just have a minute. A minute to listen...a minute to pray. Make it count.

I was also reminded that God can use us if we are willing. We don't have to be a preacher or a missionary. We don't have to be a doctor, judge, lawyer or someone the world perceives as "influential." We might be a mom dropping off our kids at pre-school...or we might be a pre-school teacher. Or we might work at Wal-Mart...and it might be EXACTLY where God wants us...where we can be His hands and feet to a hurting world. Because everyone has to eat, right? Most everyone has to get gas in their cars. We go shopping or to a park. Many of us go to church....or to the doctor. We all need new tags on our cars each year.

How long is the line at YOUR DMV?

I'm just sayin'.

And I"m sayin' it to me.

Because, sometimes, I just wanna run in and get bread and milk...and get back to my day...my house...my family.

We think that with our busy schedules we don't have time to invest in other people lives...but we do.

As Christians, especially, we need to seize the moments in each day. You might not be able to make it to Tuesday Night visitation at the church, but you can reach people right where you are. Sometimes people just want to talk...sometimes they want to listen; sometimes they need a hug; sometimes you'll have the opportunity to pray with them...or for them.

I think it's important to be intentional in how we spend our days...to look for those people who are hurting...to look for those opportunities to be a witness.

I'm not sure Mrs. Deb ever realized the impact she had on others...on us. But here I am, 2 years later, and I'm still talking about her...and I have tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat when I remember her kindness to my son.

"...when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me!" (Matthew 25:40)