Maybe it’s an American thing. We want to to do it all on our own. We lay claim to our successes like we accomplished it all single-handedly. And I’m sure that could happen. But likely, you’ve had help with your successes, whether you’d like to admit it or not.
I find it interesting that so many actors and actresses out there claim that they do all their own stunts. But if they do, what do the stuntmen do? The stuntmen are always there during the backstage videos, but rarely given proper interviews. It must be a hard job to risk life and limb so someone can inevitably tell the world that you were never there at all. That you did nothing. But do we do this in real life too? Do we take full credit when it doesn’t belong to us?
We are such a prideful bunch. We don’t like to confess that we don’t have it all together. That we might need a little help. This stunt may be a bit too big for us. That’s okay to admit. There are times when we need to call in the stuntmen so they can do what they are trained to do.
Moving to a new city has been quite the adventure in good and bad ways. Everything seemed to hit all at once. And our checking account felt the strain. We had enough to cover our bills, but I still worried about all the other sneaky expenses that always pop up when you aren’t vigilant.
I believe in God and I believe that He has been looking out for my husband and me in ways we may never know. We received a financial gift from a friend (call it paying it back or forward or whichever direction you choose). We also received an unexpected refund check from the chiropractor. And then my husband’s first paycheck at his new job came in. More than we expected. Things were looking up. And then it started to get a little freaky.
My husband and I went to a small-town grocery store for our shopping last night. It was dark and cold and neither of us wanted to be there (First World Problems, I know). When we got in line to check out, a guy came up behind us. He told the cashier that he remembered what he forgot.
As we were making small talk with the cashier, that guy kept close. He had a container of Tic-Tacs on the conveyor belt, but he didn’t put the little plastic bar down to separate our items. The cashier asked if it was ours. I said it wasn’t. Then he spoke up, “Go ahead and add this in. I’ll get theirs.”
He pulled out his wallet and handed her some cash. Our groceries were almost $60 total. He just had Tic-Tacs. It was so surreal. I stood speechless for a moment. Finally I asked him what I had done to deserve that. He said, “It’s God’s blessing. You guys just get yourself to church this Sunday, okay?”
We just stared at him like he was selling something. “Any church.” He clarified.
We shook his hand and thanked him several times and walked out of the building with him. He gave us his name and then proceeded to hand us the fourteen dollars that he had been given for change. He reiterated the church request. (How could we say no at this point?) Then he left.
I was stunned. I didn’t even know the appropriate way to react, because that has never happened before. My husband said that he made eye contact with him several times in the store and he noticed that he was lingering. My husband was a little alarmed at first, catching that something was going on. But I saw nothing out of the ordinary until the man got in line behind us. Total surprise. I didn’t think people like that really existed. It was pretty amazing. And it came at a good time.
This really is the start of a new phase in our lives. We’ll make it through, even if we can’t do all the stunts. That’s why the stuntmen are sent in. And I just want to extend some gratitude for their part in this.
Thank you to all of the unspoken heroes. Thank you to God for always watching out for us and for letting our lives cross with others on the same mission.
Let us not forget to thank those who deserve it.
Eldy Dawn 