I just spent two hours with an elderly man at Kroger. It started with me smiling at him and making eye contact. As I walked by, he looked like he needed help. I went back and asked if I could assist him.
Tears came to his eyes. He said, “I have colon cancer, and I had a bad accident. If I get out of this cart, everyone will know… What should I do?”
Seeing his dignity shaken gave me a lump in my throat. From that moment, the Kroger staff quickly brought wipes and clothes, and quietly took him to the employee bathroom area where he was given clean clothes. He cried and apologized.
He said he had to hurry because his wife was home alone. When we got to the register, his groceries were already bagged and somehow paid for.
He cried even more. He said he fought in Vietnam and the Korean War and loved his country, but until that day, he felt like his country had forgotten him.
We both cried, and I shared my own struggles and fears. He gave me words of wisdom and encouraged me, reminding me that maybe, after all, people still care about each other.
Credit: Lisa Lemming Jackson
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