Today at my yard sale, the sweetest little girl came by with her mom. I happened to have a Pink Disney Princess TV for sale (because, honestly, who doesn’t need one?), and I overheard the little girl politely ask her mom if there was any way she could earn the money to buy it. Not ask for it, earn it herself. She was only six years old. Her mom gently told her they couldn’t afford it right now and kissed her forehead. The little girl simply said, “It’s okay, Mommy,” and took her mom’s hand.
I watched as they carefully picked out the things they truly needed, counting every penny as they went. At one point, they were looking at dishes, and the little girl admired how pretty they were, how nice it would be to finally have more than just one cup and one bowl in their new place, and how lucky they were. The connection between them was so genuine and precious, I could tell they had been through something.
Every now and then, the little girl glanced at the TV…my heart just melted.
When her mom brought her items up to pay, I told her, “I’d like you to have these things, no charge.” Tears filled her eyes as she thanked me, explaining how much it meant and how much I was helping them right now. Then she asked, “But why?”
I said, “I can see that you’ve been through something difficult, and you don’t need to share it with me. But you haven’t let it stop you from being an amazing mom, raising a joyful, polite, and beautiful little girl.”
She confided that they had fled an abusive situation with only what they could fit into a duffle bag. She had saved just enough to rent a small one-room apartment, and she felt blessed and safe.
I handed her a couple of large garbage bags and told her to fill them with anything they could use, adding pillows, blankets, a blow-up camping bed, and a box of food. She hesitated, almost ashamed, and I reassured her: “We all go through hard seasons. This one will pass. And when it does, you can ‘pay it forward.’”
Then, quietly, I asked if I could give the little girl the Disney Princess TV. Yes, I know, you saw that coming! Lol.
I’ll never forget the look on that little girl’s face when my husband carried the TV to their car. My heart is full knowing that they now have full tummies, clean pajamas, a bed to sleep in, pillows, blankets, and maybe even a little TV time.
What they probably don’t realize is that they blessed me far more than I blessed them.
Credit to the original author