I stopped in at a Walmart yesterday. Not the brightest move I’ve ever made, I must admit. All the usual Christmas craziness was on parade: bright-eyed children asking, no, pleading, for toys. Harried moms of all shapes, ages, and ethnicities asking, no, pleading for them to be good for just a few more days. Weary clerks just waiting for their shifts to end.
And there I was, an island of calm in the midst of chaos. All I needed was a bag of pecan halves to make my famous pecan pie for Christmas dinner. Ten minutes should have been sufficient for this errand.
Finding the pecans seemed simple enough, except all of the bags I found on the baking aisle were pecan pieces. I insist on pecan halves because they rise so beautifully to the top during baking. Almost like magic.
I couldn’t find a clerk, so I wandered to a center aisle thinking the pecan halves might’ve been moved to a holiday display. I found a likely looking spot, but at first glance, not the right pecans. A pleasant, well groomed woman, maybe a few years my senior, was also perusing the display.
“Excuse me,” I said, “Have you seen any pecan halves? All I can find are the pieces.”
With a bit of a flourish she lifted a bag from a lower shelf. “Voila!”
“Thank you!” I said. “These are exactly what I was looking for!”
I began to turn away, when the woman said, “You could make divinity with the leftover pecans.”
“I suppose I could,” I said. “But my husband won’t eat divinity and I’d end up eating the entire batch.”
She laughed. “My husband only wants cherry pie for Christmas dessert. I used to make pecan pies for our son and grandson, though.”
Again I started to turn away, but she said, “They we’re both killed in a car accident. On the interstate between Jacksonville and Orlando.”
My heart lurched, and time stopped. “I’m so sorry. How long ago?”
“Four years. My grandson was just twelve. I think about them both every day.”
Then she told me how an erratic driver, lane surfing had taken the lives of two of the people most precious to her. He’d had multiple tickets for a variety of violations, but still had a license.
I hugged this stranger. In the middle of Walmart beside shelves of pecan halves and pecan pieces we stood and cried.
She apologized for upsetting me. “I can’t believe I just told all this to a stranger,” she said. “But I think all of my friends are sick of hearing how sad I am. They want me to get over it, or to at least stop talking about it.”
“Sometimes a stranger is just the right person to talk to,” I said. “I’m glad I came in search of pecans. Thanks again for helping me.”
She hugged me again and we wished each other a Merry Christmas. She and her husband were going to her daughter’s home for Christmas dinner, she told me. She assured me she’d be all right. “You found the right pecans, but I found the right stranger,” she said.
We never know, do we? In the rush of the day, in the quest for some mundane object, we might find not only what we need, but be the answer to someone else’s need. Slow down. Listen. Be present. You might find exactly what you’re looking for.
Peace, people.
Praying for Eyebrowz 
Leslie, this is a beautiful post and so very true xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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Wow, I have no doubt you were put there at that moment for her. An important reminder to slow down and listen to others.
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Beautiful!
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What a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing this!
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I sobbed as much in the retelling as I did when it happened! Thanks for reading!
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😀
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So beautiful to have this experience! Gave me goosebumps!! 🙂
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I was so moved by her need to share with someone.
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Such a moving post. I cried as well when I read your words and tears in my eyes even still. Another reminder that life is so precious. I am so happy you were there, kindly listened and shared a hug.
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Thank you!
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Beautiful , we really never know do we?
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Thank you. We never do. Made me wonder what stories I have turned away from in my life.
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What a beautiful post and an important reminder to stop and listen. I think that you were just what that women needed at that moment. I imagine that a few of us had to dry our eyes after reading this. Thank you for sharing this.
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Thank you! I hope I was what she needed.
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Oh Leslie, I am literally sobbing. Thank you for sharing your moments with us. I think I shall never make another pecan pie without thinking of your story. And also, I will slow down while on my quests to find some mundane thing that isn’t where it is supposed to be. Divine being, God, Fates, whatever you want to call the moments that come to us to provide a needed embrace to remind all of us that we are loved. Now I will go wash my face as I am not a pretty crier at all–eyes puffy, nose runny, face splotchy. But thank you from the bottom of my heart.
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Thank you. Now I’m crying again.
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Beautiful story. Unexpected blessing.
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Thank you!
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Thank you for sharing this. What a story. You were blessed to be the right stranger for that poor mother. It is so very special. Wishing you Merry Christmas and many tender mercies in your life.
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Thank you! Wishing you peace and love!
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Thank you!
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You were meant to be there, Leslie. That was really good.
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Thank you, Marty!
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Oh, my. You were just what that woman needed. What a tragic thing to happen.
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I can’t even imagine her pain.
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What a wonderful story, Leslie
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Thank you.
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