It’s so easy to get caught up in our own busy world but this story not only restored my faith in human kindness but also reminds us that we need to always be aware of the people around us. The story starts with Lisa Lemming Jackson, from Georgia, who was out shopping when she noticed a man who needed her help. The events that followed are a testament to the strength and bond humans continue to share with one another, despite all the conflicts we see in the world.
Read on, and you’ll see why. It all began one day in early August, as Lisa Lemming Jackson roamed the aisles of her local store. She made eye contact with an elderly man, with a pained expression on his face and Lisa knew he needed some help. And her instinct was right – read Lisa’s own words about the event below:
“Just spent two hours with an elderly man at Kroger. It started with me just smiling at him, making eye contact ….
As I walked past him he looked like he needed something. I went back and asked him if I could help him. Tears welled up in his eyes and he said:
‘I have colon cancer and I have had a really bad accident, if I get up out of this cart everyone will know … What should I do?’
The look of his dignity lost left me with a lump in my throat. From that moment on, Kroger staff quickly fetched us wipes, and undergarments and discreetly took him to their employer’s bathroom area where he was given clothes.
“He cried and apologized.
He said he had to hurry because his wife was at home alone. When we walked to the register we found his groceries all bagged and somehow paid for.
He cried harder.”
“He said he fought in Vietnam and Korean War and loved his country, but up until the day, he said he thought his country forgot about him. We both cried and I shared with him my own struggles and fears… He gave me words of wisdom and encouraged me that maybe, after all, humanity still does care about one another. Today proved it. Thank you, Elmer, thank you Kroger, and thank you God for the lesson and reminder I received today.”