NEVER JUDGE SOMEONE




Some people!' snorted a man standing behind me at the long line


at the grocery store. '





You would think the manager would pay attention and open another line, 'said a woman.





I looked to the front of the line to see what the hold up was and saw


a well dressed, young woman, trying to get the machine to accept her credit card.





No matter how many times she swiped it, the machine kept rejecting it.





'It's one of them welfare card things. Darn people need to get a job


like everyone else,' said the man standing behind me.





The young woman turned around to see who had made the comment.


'It was me,' he said, pointing to himself.





The young lady's face began to change expression.





Almost in tears, she dropped the welfare card onto the counter


and quickly walked out of the store.





Everyone in the checkout line watched as she began running to her car.





Never looking back, she got in and drove away.





After developing cancer in 1977 and having had to use food stamps; I had learned never to judge anyone, without knowing the circumstances of their life. This turned out to be the case today.





Several minutes later a young man walked into the store. He went up to the cashier and asked if she had seen the woman. After describing her, the cashier told him that she had run out of the store, got into her car, and drove away.





'Why would she do that?' asked the man.





Everyone in the line looked around at the fellow who had made the statement.





'I made a stupid comment about the welfare card she was using. Something I shouldn't have said. I'm sorry,' said the man.





'Well, that's bad, real bad, in fact. Her brother was killed in Afghanistan two years ago.





He had three young children and she has taken on that responsibility. She's twenty years old, single, and now has three children to support,' he said in a very firm voice.





'I'm really truly sorry. I didn't know,' he replied, shaking both his hands about.





The young man asked, 'Are these paid for?' pointing to the


shopping cart full of groceries. 'It wouldn't take her card,' the clerk told him.





'Do you know where she lives?' asked the man who had made the comment.





'Yes, she goes to our church.'





'Excuse me,' he said as he made his way to the front of the line.





He pulled out his wallet, took out his credit card and told the cashier,





'Please use my card. PLEASE!'





The clerk took his credit card and began to ring up the young woman's groceries.





'Hold on', said the gentleman. He walked back to his shopping cart and began loading his own groceries onto the belt to be included. 'Come on people. We got three kids to help raise!' he told everyone in line.





Everyone began to place their groceries onto the fast moving belt. A few customers began bagging the food and placing it into separate carts.


'Go back and get two big turkeys,' yelled a heavyset woman, as she looked at the man.





'NO,' yelled the man. Everyone stopped dead in their tracks. The entire store became quiet for several seconds.





'Four turkeys,' yelled the man.





Everyone began laughing and went back to work.





When all was said and done, the man paid a total of $1,646.57 for the groceries. He then walked over to the side, pulled out his check book, and began writing a check using the bags of dog food piled near the front of the store for a writing surface.





He turned around and handed the check to the young man.





'She will need a freezer and a few other things as well,' he told the man.





The young man looked at the check and said, 'This is really very generous of you.'





'No,' said the man. 'Her brother was the generous one.'





Everyone in the store had been observing the odd commotion and began to clap.





And I drove home that day feeling very American.





We live in the Land of the free, because of the Brave!!!





emember our Troops of Yesterday and Today!!!





A great example of why we should be kind and patient.





Kindness is the language the blind can see and the deaf can hear.





May God's many blessings continue to be with you - ALWAYS!!!








MAY THIS KEEP GOING.... IT WILL OPEN A LOT OF EYES,


HOPEFULLY HEARTS, AND KEEP SOME MOUTHS SHUT.

aweee

it brought tears to mine...

Things like this are unfortunately so rare, and wonderfully mindblowing to know that with just a little motivation, there are actually a few good people still out there.

So I have to say... growing up my parents were welfare caseworkerks for YEARS and YEARS and this story is NOT the norm... Though I agree you don't know the story of the person in front of you, I can say a majority of the time... this isn't the case.

WOW....your friend talks a lot....

I LOVE YOUR THOUGHTS!

GREAT STORY, and TO MANY PEOPLE do COMMENT about others without EVER thinking or CARING their FEELINGS..

WE should ALL "RESPECT" each other in and through THIS life if we want to SHARE in the glory of forever!

I havn't ever bought all of a strangers groceries, but I have given money to alot who were short their total or who's child came up wanting what candy they held and Mom say 'we can't afford that, now put it back'. I'll ask if it would be ok if I got it for them? Not a big deal as I have three kids and understand,some have said yes and some no..but I "TRY" to help.
And THAT word is "ALOT"..From opening a door to having one opened for YOU. IT SHOULD NEVER BE THOUGHT OF AS SAYING "NOTHING",,a quick Thanks or thank you SHOULD be USED,wink..

TREAT other like YOU would LIKE to be TREATED and watch how FACES open to smiles and STRANGERS don't FEEL like strangers anymore,wink..

I have a hard time believing this even happened... sounds like something that happened to a friend, that happened to a friend's sister's roommate's cousin's best friend's mother's sister... chain mail

Ditto what Iam4u said.

There are many amazing events of American spirit at work, often unseen:
Many years after I returned from Southeast Asia, I worked in a factory for a few months. My supervisor was Vietnamese, an immigrant, and a communist believer. Of all the supervisors in the factory, he alone attempted to gain me promotion from temp labor to permanent employee. He knew that I'd fought in the war, and that we opposed each other's politics, but he showed respect for the quality of my work.
Perhaps the other supervisors did not approve of the immigrant, or they just wanted the past to vanish. I do not know. What I do know is that I earned the approval of this one man, and we are both American.
Think ahead. Winning any war involves peace, at some point, and then it involves acceptance of differences and showing sincere respect.

you know somethig i was raised right i was taught to never judge any one or make fun of them more less i have morals,respect and passion for others.

I have giving my own jacket right of my back if that person needed it to keep warm and its a good feeling to have knowing that you have done something from your heart.

Thats what this world is missing kindness ,love,understanding ect,It's always rush rush or who is better than the other ect.

But i put this same topic on to plentyoffish as well sense i only go there for the forumes and no more than a hour they voted on it as a attention seeking i mean what kind of site is that if your not alowd to exspress your self or how you feel with out being told its a self pity or attention seeking omg right thats why i love this site better because it has more to offer meeting nice people like your selfs that have a understanding and love and kindness and can share thoughts with out judgng the other Thank you guys and gals for your responses i hope this helps out take care lets hope this post contiues.
and not left on the back burner like some threads.