A Real Pay It Forward

As some of you know...
Marc was deployed last year...

So, he missed Broxton's first Christmas.
Thankfully, he is home now...

So we really want this Christmas to be extra special.

My parents and brother are coming up Christmas Day and will be here for the weekend.

Although I do not cook, we have to eat something...

:)
So today...

We loaded up and headed to buy our Christmas meal.

(I figured go ahead and go now, as to avoid the last minute rush.)

We went and bought everything we needed to feed all of us (and boy do we eat!)

We planned on food for Christmas Day and then HOPEFULLY we will have plenty of leftovers for dinner and lunch the next day.

We were in the checkout line...

Waiting on Marc, he wanted to go grab cranberry sauce.

There was a lady behind us that had 5 items.

I told her to go ahead and go first, we would be awhile.
She said we were fine.
I told her really, it was okay... We were still waiting on my husband.
She then remembered she needed tape.

Marc came, we finished unloading and then Marc called me back to where he was standing.

This sweet lady wanted to pay for our groceries.

Marc is a man of VERY FEW WORDS... So, he called me back.

I listened to her... and started to cry.

She said that although she was not rich, she wanted to pay for our groceries.

She felt that was her gift to us this Christmas.

I was crying so hard...

I mean, what do you say?
I told her that although I really appreciated it...
Our total was going to be rather high and I just did not feel right.

She again, stated that she waited behind us because she really wanted to pay for our meal.

It was her gift for us, for her to pay for our Christmas lunch.

Was God watching over us today?

Yes... He always is...

It is just amazing...

That a random stranger felt the call...

and answered.

I continued to cry... it was just so moving.

Other customers stood around looking, trying to figure out what was going on...

We loaded up our cart and each of the boys gave her a huge hug and said Thanks...

Broxton gave her a bear hug.

Marc hugged her...

Of course, I explained that Marc was deployed last year and we were really trying to have the best Christmas ever, you know...

To make up for him being gone last year.

She said that she was so glad that she could help.

For us to focus on Christmas with our family and to not have to worry about the food.

Wow.

What do you say?
How do you ever say Thank You for that?

Yes, I asked for her address to send a thank you note...

She said that she did not want one, she just wanted to share in the joy of Christmas and she wanted to do this...

I BEGGED for her address, I had to have it to say Thanks.

She then gave me her card.

She is an Elementary School Principal.

So, Mrs. Faulkner...

We THANK YOU.

From the bottom of our hearts.

We Thank You.

Words can never express how much that meant.

Oh, and she is from Alpharetta.

Why would she be here?

She was 30-45 minutes from home.

God is always watching over us.

Now, we are going to pay it forward.

Not sure when or how...

But we will.

Being on the receiving end of something so wonderful, you will never really and truly know how it feels...