Oct
30
2020
Runaway Berries
Posted in Discipleship 6 Comments
I was waiting in the checkout line.
I was obediently standing behind the designated six-foot distance mark on the floor.
There was a person ahead of me with a cart full of groceries.
There was a price discrepancy that needed to be addressed.
The placement of this particular register is a bit strange.
It is the last register before the customer service desk.
There is a small staircase next to this register.
The staircase has only four steps, that lead to an office.
Often, when I am in this line, people walk behind me all the time.
They are either going to the office or coming from it.
It is a busy little corner of the market.
For some reason, I like this register the best.
I saw the berries on the floor.
I had come to the register after the mishap.
Apparently, the person ahead of me dropped their container of blueberries.
They were all over the floor.
Quickly, a man with a broom and a long handled dustpan came to the rescue.
I have seen this man before.
He is sweet and such a hard worker.
He moves a bit slower than the other workers.
I see him outside with some of the older men who retrieve the carts.
They bring the carts from the parking lot to an area outside the market.
They diligently spray and wipe each cart to sanitize them.
No cart goes to another customer until they clean it first.
I noticed that the older men seemed to take this slower man under their wings.
They are almost like a father to him.
He works hard; they see to it.
I hear their banter as they talk back and forth while they sanitize the carts.
This day there were no older men to help him.
He was the one with the broom and long handled dustpan.
This was his task alone.
It was a challenge; but he was trying so hard.
Every time he swept the blueberries into the dustpan, some of the blueberries rolled out.
He would sweep and they would roll.
Over and over, I watched him.
It seemed like the blueberries were winning this challenge.
I was putting my groceries onto the moving belt.
I needed to finish, since the cashier was scanning my groceries quickly.
People came down the steps and walked right where he was sweeping.
One man, who loads shelves, commented.
Oh, some berries dropped, huh?
I wanted to scream.
Of course some berries dropped.
Couldn’t he see that the man was struggling?
Couldn’t I?
I turned to put the last of my groceries on the belt.
I wanted to help the man.
I thought if I held the dustpan, I could make sure the blueberries stayed inside.
I didn’t want to embarrass him, or bring attention to the situation.
I turned and saw another employee helping him.
She had been behind the customer service desk.
She came down the four steps and went over to him.
She rolled some of the blueberries with her foot.
I thought how she would make a good soccer player.
She expertly turned her shoe so that only the side touched the blueberries.
As she gently kicked them towards him, he tried to sweep them into the dustpan.
The dustpan tilted on the handle; yet he continued to hold the dustpan perfectly flat.
The phone rang at the customer service desk.
She had to leave him to his task.
When she returned, she had paper towels and a cleaner in a spray bottle.
With the two of them working together, the blueberries had to surrender.
The man left to attend to the outside carts.
He was being called by the older men who take him under their wings.
After he left, I leaned over to the woman who was wiping up blueberry stains.
You were very kind to him, I said not wanting to embarrass her.
Oh, he is my brother, the woman said.
I was startled at first.
It made her even more special in my eyes.
Instead of ignoring him, or denying him in any way, she encouraged him.
With her quick soccer kicks, she helped him but she didn’t do the job for him.
She was not condescending in any way.
This was her brother and he needed her help.
She helped in such a way that she boosted his confidence.
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’ “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:30-37)
I witnessed a parable lived out in front of me.
How many people passed the man by and stepped on some blueberries in the process.
Even I didn’t come to his aid as I had hoped to do.
His sister helped him in such a way that his dignity was still intact.
Go and do likewise.
If she only knew how much her simple act meant to me.
Gina, you have eyes that are very aware of kindness. Those eyes are precious. I am so glad you told her she was kind. Your praise reinforced her heart. Great story. Nowadays most either ignore or are too self centered to see an opportunity to help someone. God had you in that line right during the blueberry escape ! If someone slipped on one, people would have blamed the store. Simple acts. One at a time.
Thank you, sweet Julie.
I am always so grateful to God for allowing me to see these simple moments.
Her simple act touched my heart.
You are right…simple acts, one at a time.
Gina
Lovely. Thanks for sharing this story.
You’re welcome, Paula!
Her act was so simple, yet so important.
Gina
Beautiful and may we all learn from her example.
Amen, Sherie.
Go and do likewise has been repeating in my ears.
Gina