#givethanks in line at winco

I was in line at Winco of all places, four masked babies in tow, when the old man in front of me looked back and smiled warmly.

“You sure have a lot of helpers,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. “I had two boys, but I wish I could have had some girls as well!”

We talked about how grateful I was for my children, and him his. We talked about the craziness going on in the world right now. Heck, we even talked about how you could get a free turkey if you spend over $100 on groceries, milk and booze excluded. And then he looked at me, more earnest than ever, and said, “A few days ago my granddaughter came over to my house with a present. I opened it up and saw some kind of cloth inside. I pulled it out of the bag and kept staring in confusion.” He looked at me, tears rolling down his wrinkled cheeks. “I’m going to be a great grandfather,” he said. “I can’t believe it, they got married earlier this year and it was baby clothes! Now they’re having a baby.” He was so overcome that he stopped talking for a second, allowing his mask to catch the tears draining from his eyes. 

There are moments where if I allow myself to be still and present, I can almost tangibly and magically feel the connection in humanity. This was one of those moments. We shared our lives for maybe five minutes, but it was real and sincere and so beautiful. It was nothing, and yet it was life-changing.

Even before President Nelson challenged us to post our thankful hearts on social media I knew I had to write it down, memorializing this moment that meant so much to me in a season that has felt so empty. But life got in the way—homeschool and house projects and a myriad of other tasks taking their place on my to-do list. But then President Nelson spoke with the same tenderness and love and twinkle in his eye that I recognized from Winco, and I knew the love I felt emulating from both of these men was calling me back to my words, to this story, to connection and gratitude and story-telling. I’m grateful for this challenge which has encouraged me to do what I already know brings me so much joy: write. I have a lot to be thankful for. #givethanks