Monday Madness-Angels Unaware

Hello all you lovely average people!

It's Monday, and usually I post a list of crazy and random things that I learned or was reminded of over the past weekend (or week).  Yesterday, I had planned out a whole rant about how no one is reliable, and this fact will cause you to be stuck doing five hours of cookie booths in the freezing wind. That is, in fact, until something happened to change my mind.  Today, I'm going to post about a random act of kindness my daughter (and subsequently, I) received.

A week or so ago, a nice lady at my church asked if she could take my daughter shopping.  She told me that she has always had little girls around her- foster children, neighbors, her children's friends- and has missed shopping for kids clothes.  I smiled, and told her that of course she could take my oldest shopping; she is a total clothes horse, and I gave her some ideas of what Katie could actually use (jeans!) and what we have an over abundance of (shirts!).  We planned for Katie and the lovely lady (whom I know fairly well) to leave after church yesterday, and "do" lunch and shopping.  

Katie arrived home around 6:00 pm, with her arms LOADED with shopping bags.  I could scarcely believe my eyes!  She was very excited to show off all of her new things; an Easter dress, several pairs of pants, a new shirt, and a large bag from the shore store. She even had a small bag that was for her sister!

Ok.  Let me pause here to say, that while my family isn't living in the slums (we live in a small but nice home in the country, 10 minutes away from the ocean- not beach front or anything, but on a beach access route), but we are by no means "well off": we don't have iPhones, my Compaq laptop is at least 4 years old, and while both of our vehicles are paid for, they would never be mistaken for new.  One is actually nicknamed "the deerslayer", for obvious reasons.  I tell you this because, while we do have NICE things, we have them because both my hubby and I are serious coupon freaks and die hard bargain shoppers.  We're talking, buy the dearly needed gas grill in JANUARY, kind of people.  I NEVER pay full price for anything.  Ever.  Ok, except that one time, but other than that; NEVER.  I AM only average, after all.  My husband has a good job, and I'm a stay home parent- we make ends meet and even put a miniscule amount away each month, but we don't tend to spend a lot on the "extras" in life (I don't count a couple makeup subscriptions as "a lot").  My kids are also pretty good at not asking for super expensive things- we do one trip a year to the "hot" store that my oldest just HAS to have some things from, and Christmas gets pretty extensive around here, but that's really about it.  If they make a generic of something that's just as good, we usually go with that- especially if the price difference is enormous.

That being said, I when I saw the shoe bag, I looked at my daughter's feet.  She was not wearing the cute shoes I bought her on President's Day (for $1.50, I might add), but a pair of UGGs.  I blinked twice, assuming that they were what I call, "FUGGs", and then peered inside the shoe bag.  This amazing woman, with whom I don't always see eye to eye (though I have ALWAYS respected), bought my kid a $200 pair of UGG boots.  Plus a bunch of other stuff.  I looked closer as my daughter was spinning around in her new, beautiful clothes, and noticed what was missing: red clearance stickers (the mecca of any Discount Diva, and every Only Average Mom)!  

There were no receipts in any of the bags (except the shoe bag, I am sure that was an accident), so I am positive that this lovely lady doesn't want me to know what she spent on my kids, and my husband and I were moved that someone (besides our true family and our chosen family, that is) would even consider spending a few hundred dollars on a child that isn't "theirs".  Plus, buy her sister a gorgeous Easter dress!

My grumblings of the day before, after being stuck at a cookie booth for what seemed like endless hours, were instantly gone, and I will filled with love, joy and hope- this woman was an angel to us.  This came at a time when I was becoming particularly jaded, and perhaps less-kind than I usually was.

The moral of this story isn't to brag about how awesome this woman is (although it's true), or about how much stuff my kids have.  It's a reminder to be kinder than necessary, to love one another, to share what you have when you are able- because the people you are giving to, even if it's just a smile, will notice, and maybe change their perspective.  This fantastic woman (whom I figured would spend maybe $25 on my kid) completely changed my frame of mind, and my outlook.  We truly are entertaining Angels Unaware.

Have a great week, my average friends!