I Dare You..

When I was growing up, my parents always made us volunteer at Andre House. It is a house in downtown Phoenix that feeds the homeless. I was little so I got to pass out cookies at the end of the line. It never dawned on me that I was really doing anything that good. I just loved talking with all the people and seeing them smile. I never really understood they were really homeless and could not afford their meals.

On Christmas Eve, 1991, the guy I was dating went with me to do some last second Christmas shopping before dinner. I will never forget that as we drove past Mervyn's I noticed this older woman pushing a shopping cart. It started to sprinkle. I made him turn his truck around and I gave her all the money I had to finish my Christmas shopping. My boyfriend was livid at me. I didn't have enough money to finish my shopping now, and to be honest, I can't even remember who did not get their present that year. Obviously it did not matter. I broke up with my boyfriend right after Christmas for making fun of me for helping someone. I was always that kind of girl. Still am.

This past week I have been clipping coupons like a raging lunatic. SERIOUSLY. Each day I went, I had lists and all my coupons organized in envelopes and did not deviate from the lists. I was even prepared for any Pudgie tantrums... I took extra snacks for the little man and my shopping went off without a hitch.... until the checkout.

Today, when Pudige and I were getting ready to go through all my lists I was watching a younger little girl and her baby checking out their groceries. I knew she was young.. maybe 17. I am sure she was making a go of life on her own or maybe with a boyfriend and her little baby. I can't imagine how that would be.

I went through my first batch of food groceries. I was pretty pleased with my $10.11 bill for over $135.00 in groceries. Something about this little girl just kept me staring in her direction. There was barely enough food to feed one person for a day, let alone herself and her little one. They didn't seem homeless but possibly a pair that bounced between friends. Pudgie was trying to play ball with the girl.

When the girl finished checking out her groceries she was short a few dollars. If she had been buying alcohol or cigarettes I would not have given her a second thought. She was buying her baby her food and milk, bread and eggs. Essentials. Essentials that she could not afford. The clerk asked her what she needed to return. I could tell the girl was embarrassed and scared all at the same time. I handed the clerk the remaining amount this little girl needed and told her she did not need to return anything. You would have thought that I had just given this little girl a new car. She could not thank me enough. It felt so good to help this little girl with just a few dollars that were change at the bottom of my purse. Pudgie, of course had not idea what was going on, but was actually playing happily for once in the store.

Right then I decided that this little girl could have my first group of groceries. It was all food, well, one package of toilet paper, and who doesn't need that. They would both be able to eat everything that I had purchased and I am sure it was more food than she had purchased in the last two months combined. Who knows, maybe my instinct was off today, and this little girl was not who she appeared to be....she could be the nanny for all I know, but I don't think so.

Today I did something for someone else and it felt so good. My kids are not going to miss the mashed potatoes that I gave away and we certainly will survive without the other 4 bottles of bottles of grape juice and countless other items that were there in my order.

I am not sure how many people really read our blog, but for those that do, I DARE YOU to do something good for someone you don't know. It might just make your day! I really believe that for the cost of my groceries $10.11 and the extra $2.00 and change I gave to this little girl, one day, she will do the same for someone else when she can!