I made a stranger cry happy tears

If you haven't noticed, I haven't been around much this week.  That would be because if my new job. I started on Monday and have been in training all week long.  The training required some travel for the later part of the week.  I was not looking forward to the trip home this morning. I had little sleep, I was tired of sitting already, and it was busy because if the holiday weekend.

 Lunch today was "travel food" you know those random selections of "restaurants" they have at airports and thruway rest stops?  Yeah that.  I was attempting to find something remotely healthy to eat when I noticed a mom with two small children in tow.  The kids were adorable   There was a little boy about two and a half years old. He had bright blue glasses, a killer smile, and messy blonde hair. His little sister looked to be about 8 months old.  The mom was alone, and obviously had her hands full.  As I sat down to eat my $13 tray of fried food (yeah, I gave up on the healthy search), something in me wanted to help her.  I thought about offering to feed the baby so mom could enjoy her lunch, but I thought it would also be a little strange.  I finished my meal and and tossed my trash, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to do something to bless her somehow.  My co-worker said she wanted some coffee, so I followed her to the line for Starbucks. I grabbed a $5 gift card and a napkin.  I stole a pen from my co-worker and wrote "I know that traveling with little one can be tough but I wanted to let you know you are doing a great job!  Use this to treat yourself. You deserve it!"   I folded the napkin over the gift card walked up to her and stuttered "um.. Hi, I know this seems strange but I wanted to give you something" And placed my simple gift on the table. I had intended to turn around a walk away before I could see her reaction, but the sweet boy dropped his toy truck so I was there long enough to pick it up.  With tear filled eyes, the mother looked at me and said "you have no idea how much this made my day. Thank you". 

Now, I have mentioned before that I am extremely shy.  I panic when cashiers ask me if I found everything alright.  The thought of having conversations with strangers scare the poo outta me. So, with that being said, I am not telling this story to toot my own horn and say "hey everyone look how cool I am I was nice to a stranger!"  I am telling this story because I learned a serious lesson today.  Just because something is really scary doesn't mean that it shouldn't be done.  Small acts of kindness can have a huge impact on someone's life.  I really didn't want to see that lady's reaction. But now, I am really glad I did.  It proved to me that I should step out of my comfort zone more often.  You never know, maybe someday I will be traveling alone with my two kids and could be in the need of some serious encouragement. I would love for some one to tell me I am doing a good job when I feel hopelessly overwhelmed.  

Anyway, I have rambled enough in this post already and i am not even sure if I made my point. But I am done. Typing posts on my iPhone is no fun. Please note that this is completely unedited and not proof read. Also, my thumbs are numb. 

Enjoy your weekend lovies!! And see if you can encourage a stranger. I promise you that it is so worth it!