Life Lessons with Lindsay

Y’all remember that tile we ordered that took forever to come in and almost caused me to act ugly to the sales rep? Well, it finally came in!!!!! Even though it took four extra weeks to come in, it is everything I had hoped for.

Okay, all of that aside, we had to run to Lowe’s to get some other supplies for the tile project to get kicked off. Those supplies included 14 large piece of backer board. I was still dressed in my work clothes and heels, so my assisting was more dangerous than helpful. As I diligently held the cart steady, Big Daddy loaded these large boards one at a time. Out of nowhere, a kind man asked how many we needed to load and then helped load them all up. We thanked him, asked his name and continued to the checkout line.

Upon completing our checkout, the gentleman, who we now know by the name of Shawn, was walking out at the same time and offered to help load them up. Mind you, Shawn is not in a Lowe’s uniform and has zero obligation to assist us. He is simply a kind soul who we were blessed to encounter. Big Daddy asked if he would let us pay him something for the help. He said it wasn’t necessary but if we would like he wouldn’t say no. We paid him and loaded up. As we prepared to leave we watched as he got into a nice vehicle and left the parking lot.

Now this encounter would elicit many different responses from individuals, but I’m only going to tell you my thoughts. First, WOW! Shawn was so kind and helpful that I truly saw the Lord in him. Shawn treated us with kindness and respect and we did the same in return. It filled my heart with joy to interact with him.

It shouldn’t matter (and doesn’t to us), but Shawn is African American. In the area where we were, interactions between races can vary from kind to hateful. Let me be clear in saying that this is not a one race problem. Hate has been instilled in so many families based on so many factors. On the flip side of that, love has been instilled in many families and for that I am so thankful.

In addition to Shawn’s overwhelming kindness, I was also impressed by his work ethic. Because of our jobs and regular presence with teenagers we know how rare work ethic is today. Any one willing to go the extra mile, whether seeking pay or not, is good by me. Encountering Shawn was a gift to us that day on many levels. It reminded us of the great people in the world and just how far a little kindness goes in making someone’s day.

I have made it a point to be more like Shawn as I go through my day. I don’t know that we need #BeLikeShawn rubber bracelets or anything like that, but I do think remembering the difference kindness makes is so very important for us all. Maybe we have to fake it until we make it, but I figure after a while it will become second nature. #BeLikeShawn 😉