An Open Letter to the Missouri Guy Who Gave a Lady His Cart

Sometimes it's the small victories you learn to cherish. This is a great example. I saw the smallest of gestures recently that made a bigger than expected impact on me. It was a guy at a store in Missouri who voluntarily surrendered his shopping cart to a lady who needed one.

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For the record, I really try to mind my own business. But, as I get older I find myself becoming an observer of life and sometimes overlooked moments. This one played itself out recently over the busy 4th of July weekend.

Here's what happened. I won't name the store or the town, but suffice it to say I was sitting in my vehicle getting ready to run in and get groceries in Missouri. As I was catching my breath preparing to face the crowds and get my errands done, I noticed there weren't many carts in the cart corral. Store was busy. I saw what appeared to be the last one grabbed by a dude who probably had a similar "honey do" list like the one I had.

What caught my eye was the guy suddenly stopped as he was walking toward the store. He then started walking toward another car that had just parked where a woman had just gotten out who also happened to be getting a child out of a car seat. The mom struggle is real.

I watched a simple exchange between the man and the lady. He gave her his cart and walked back toward the store without one. A simple sacrificial gift that probably went unnoticed by everyone except that mom and child.

I felt like his kind gesture that practically no one saw deserved an open letter of thank you and some public praise. When you've been on Earth as long as I have, you learn to appreciate small expressions of grace.

Thank you, kind soul, for putting the needs of a tired mom and her child over your own. The world needs more like you.