Angels at Walmart

Today I learned something that Scott had learned long ago......that Walmart can be a place of hope and healing.  I see you smirking but I can say it's true!

When Scott could not sleep at night, which was every night, he would put on his pajama bottoms of a certain print and would slip on a shirt of another print and grab some slippers that were once a nice tan but were now black with wear, not even bothering to comb his hair and head over to our local 24 hour Walmart.

Why and what would he do there you might wonder?  Well, the why, certainly had something to do with how he was dressed.  He felt right at home.  He said he got no more strange looks from others than anyone else got.  It was well lit, had security precautions (at least greeters at the door),  had bathrooms close by and if he was hungry the shelves were always stocked.  It was this insomniac's paradise.  He always related stories of the interesting people he met,  the latest gizmos out and became a whiz at product pricing.  As he wandered the halls of this mecca to American commercialism,  he solved world problems like.....what brand of paper towel was most absorbent and which BBQ sauce worked best with what cut of meat.  Really, what he was doing was setting his own pains aside to think of someone else's needs.

I would often awake, not knowing he had a mid-night encounter at the mega store,  and find our counter littered with things that seemed to magically appear, often with a note that said he was thinking of so and so and this was for them and would I make sure they got it.  Once I awoke to see piles of craft items on the counter for my Pre-K class.  I smile tenderly at the thought of him selecting every size of googly eyes and every color and style of pom-poms.  His last nocturnal run, brought us a year supply of chocolate chips and Hersery Bars.  He was quite concerned when he heard about the price of chocolate going up.  He was going to make sure that we had enough to "barter" with all the chocoholics out there since he knew chocolate was not a motivator for me.  I am in possession of  excessive chocolate, so I think I know what I will give this Christmas.

Anyway, I found myself at Walmart today, wandering the aisles amazed that Thanksgiving was crowded out before it even happened and Christmas had already taken over.  I was in a fog of thoughts that seemed to lead to nowhere in making some purchasing decisions when I was approached by a lady asking where I had gotten such and such in my shopping basket.  From that innocent question, a conversation ensued and we found each of us bearing our souls to each other, saying things like, "I do not know why I am telling you this," or "I never share this with people even those that I have known for years, yet alone a stranger". She had seen a few more tragedies in her life and was able to offer some comfort and counsel.  Although not a member of my church, we were united in our common belief that God watches over all his children and will answer all their prayers in His timing and we will see our loved ones again.  We held up traffic for quite awhile in the aisle, while there were tears and hugs and eventually an exchange of names and telephone numbers.  This Walmart angel hailed from Iowa part of the year and had no idea that when she entered the automatic doors today that she would be on the Lord's errand.  Another tender mercy is noted.

When we parted, a phrase from a hymn and a scripture came to mind, "No longer as strangers on earth need we roam " (Now Let Us Rejoice #3)  and "...I was a stranger, and ye took me in.." (Matt. 25:35)
Scott was right, Walmart can be a place of solace and he would be pleased to know that it can happen even in the daytime.