The Little Boy with the Balloons

We were at the front of the store the other day, working to get customers checked out. A woman was pushing one of our larger shopping carts with a little boy sitting with his big Spider Man balloon and another with the image of a smiley face. The boy wasn't as excited as many of the kids when they enter and exit the Christmas Shop. Most young children are staring at the lights, the revolving trees and reacting to the overload of color and decorations. This little boy just seemed content to be. For some reason, his face stayed in my mind.

So, it was pretty neat to hear Scott's story the next day at the managers' meeting. He initially talked about a customer that was crying about a broken branch of a tree. Nothing that Scott tried to do could make the customer happy. The entire interaction was frustrating! It was nice that minutes later, he engaged the mom of the little boy with the balloons pushing the big shopping cart. She seemed old enough to be the boy's grandmother; turned out she was his mom. The 5 year old had had a tough start to his young life, being abused by the people that were supposed to love and protect him. But, the woman said that she had just been able to adopt the child. The boy didn't talk yet; he was still getting used to all that was new in his life. While helping the two to their car, Mark, a coworker, lifted the little guy from the cart and was rewarded with a huge grin. Now everyone was smiling! As Scott told the story, I felt tears coming to my eyes. Love, family, friends; that's what's important. It was a good reminder to not sweat the small stuff and to be grateful for what is right in front of us.

I have no photos to share. The mother and child's image won't leave my mind, surely not as I go on celebrating my own family and friends this season. May you find peace and love this holiday season. I was lucky to get a glimpse just the other day.

Merry Christmas.