“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16 NIV)

“Five carts deep again,” I groaned. I was back at the grocery store again trying to pick up another week’s worth of groceries for me and my family. The big store seemed even more crowded than usual that day. When I’d finally gotten everything on my list and was ready to check out I saw the lines at the cashiers were 5 deep again. The store had cut back on cashiers more and more lately. Most of their employees were working as personal shoppers now for people placing orders and picking them up. I didn’t mind that so much but I did wish they had kept more people working the check-out lines instead of forcing most shoppers to use the self check-out area. It saved them money but added to the stress of shopping in the store.

Most of the people in the lines were older so I decided to not add to their wait and instead check myself out again. I pushed my cart over to the self check-out section. There was even a wait here too but I saw one person was almost done. A lady had her full bags laid out on the metal table to the side of the machine. She tried to put them all in her cart quickly and apologized for making me wait. I said not to hurry and it wasn’t her fault it was so crowded. As she pushed her cart away, however, I noticed she had left one bag of groceries behind. I quickly grabbed it and chased after her. When I caught up she said, “Thank you so much! God bless you!” I smiled and said, “You’re welcome.”

As I walked back to my cart, though, something was different. I felt blessed and I no longer was stressed. Her words had brought a peace to my heart and a smile to my face. In exchanging a simple act of kindness for a blessing, I had come closer to God and to my own humanity.

This modern society seems designed to isolate us and pull us apart. It puts profits over people. It worships money instead of God. But God in His Love, Wisdom, and Power uses a million moments to bring us back together. He uses blessings and acts of kindness to heal our hearts and touch our souls. He weaves a Tapestry of Love that connects us all in ways that we can’t comprehend. He even uses a lost bag of groceries to bring joy to two people. May you take your place in His Tapestry then. May your life be full of love, kindness, and blessings always.

Joseph J. Mazzella