So, I just barely got home from shopping....and the funny thing is that I really didn't even shop that much. I did get a lot for my money, but it was the unexpected that has really taken me back. I'm so thankful to my Father in Heaven who has given me the opportunity to experience what I have tonight/early this morning. I was getting ready to do some rounds at Safeway with the new $10.00 off $50.00 coupon when I noticed this lady fumbling through her coupons and groceries, trying to get what she needed but not more than that. I think I've seen her in the store a few times, always late at night, and my friend Theresa has helped her with coupons before in the store. I smiled at her and went to get my cart. Right after that it was like a light went off and she recognized me. She asked me for help trying to find some of the $10.00 off $50.00 coupons. We looked through the store and couldn't find any food days. I gave her one of mine and that made her really happy. Anyway, we continued talking and I learned so much from her.

She was born and grew up in Germany, she married the first man who asked her to marry him and she never did love him. She had two children with him before divorsing him 17 years later...but during that time had to endure beatings and very hurtful things. As a child she grew up being bombed from home to home 3 times! She had only a potato and water to eat every day for many years. She worked in a factory that made hand made mink coats and she was very good at her job at the age of 14.

She learned several languages, English being one of them and when she finally moved to the US she had mastered English. She raised her boys on her own and they are very wonderful men now. She went back to school when she was in her 50's to get a degree so that she could teach Russian and Italian. She never finished school because she became very ill with cancer.

Anyway, there are so many more things I learned about her. What impressed me the most was, after I offered to give her a ride home (she had a pull cart to help her carry her groceries home with...and it just so happens that when we got outside to unload her groceries into my car the wheel broke off) we sat for about 3 hours and talked and she kept saying that she felt like she was a failure in God's eyes and that she was surprised she was still around because she had so many thoughts of suicide. It really upset her that she nearly completed her schooling to become a teacher but had to stop because of how ill she became. I quitely listened casually wiping tears from my eyes so she wouldn't notice. I told her that I've had my share of difficulties, as we all do, and that I know that there are times when we can feel extremely discouraged. I told her that I knew that Heavenly Father loved her and has her best interests at heart. I told her that maybe she didn't have the opportunity to finish her schooling now, but it was enough. She then said that at 70 how is she going to ever use it and I shared with her that I knew that whatever knowledge she acquired in this life would follow her into the next and that perhaps in the next life she would have the opportunity to cultivate it and teach others. I think that this gave her hope, only on account that she said that it did and asked me to repeat it several times. We talked a long time about many other things and I'm certain I'll always remember this.

However, I'm entirely too tired at past 2am to write anymore...I didn't even unpack all of the groceries. I'll try to write more tomorrow, but I just had to write at least part of this down because I feel so very blessed.