The Empty Cart

She saw him while she was rushing through the grocery store after work. He was an old man standing in the produce section with an empty cart next to him, staring at a display of apples.

She was about to walk by. Everyone is busy and has their own issues. But something stopped her.

"Do you need help finding something?" she asked.

He was surprised and looked up. "Oh, I'm just... I'm trying to remember what my wife told me to get. She's in the hospital, and I... He stopped talking.

Sarah could see how confused he was by the way his hands shook a little when he touched the apples. She knew what to look for because her own grandmother had gone through the same thing.

"What kinds of food does she like?" Sarah asked in a kind way.

Sarah helped him through the store for the next twenty minutes. She puts bananas in her morning smoothies. For easy dinners, soup. The exact kind of crackers she always bought. As they talked, his memory got clearer and stories about his wife of fifty-two years came to him easily.

While he struggled with his wallet, Sarah quietly paid for his groceries at the register.

"You don't have to," he said.

She said, "My grandmother would have wanted someone to help you." "Do what you can to help others."

Sarah got a card in the mail three weeks later. A picture of an old man and a woman in a hospital bed, both smiling, is inside. The note said, "Margaret came home yesterday." Thanks for reminding me not only what to buy, but also that there are still good people in the world. We're making soup for our new neighbor who just had an operation. Giving back. —Henry and Margaret"

Being kind can mean just taking the time to notice that someone needs help and deciding to care.


Who needs your help right now?