Friends, family, kids...they all work to lift us up in need. But the kindness of total anonymous strangers?

Wow.

Last night I got BD 4 back and our plans didn't work out b/c I had the date wrong for the Halloween event I was planning on taking her to.

So we went to Friendlys.

It was nice, but I had an emotionally draining week (see prior post) so I probably looked a little frazzled. A well dressed woman a little older than me, came in with her two very well dressed teens and sat behind me. We were all close enough that I could hear some of their conversations, and I'm sure with as loud as BD4 is they could hear some of ours.

I remember hearing her son speaking of something scientific that tickled his brain, and thinking she was quite a lucky mom. I also remember smiling at her and them before they sat down, and thinking they looked as tho they may have come from some calling hours the way they were dressed. All wearing black and mom looked tired.

During dinner BD4 kept hopping over to my side of the booth (she hates to sit across from me, but when we're eating I make her or she'll hang on me and it's hard to eat.) She would hug and kiss me, and kept saying how much she missed me this weekend. I told her I was sorry she has to miss me every other weekend now and that I miss her too. This went on throughout our dinner.

Anyway...

Waitress was new. I ordered what I usually do, but for some reason dinner for me and BD4 came to about 10 bucks more than it usually does. I don't always get icecream and I did, but 10 bucks worth?

I wasn't paying close attention when I gave my credit card, and when she brought it back the itemized receipt was gone. I decided to inquire if I could see it again, and the waitress was highly defensive. I was very calm, tired almost, but really need to start watching my spending more carefully, and at least make sure that I didn't get someone else's bill- it happen's ya know?

I tried to reassure her I just wanted to review it. No scene. Just double checking, but could tell the new waitress was flustered.

While I was waiting for her to come back with the itemized bill, the woman behind me went up to the register and she talked to our mutual waitress a while, the manager a bit. I assumed perhaps her bill was wrong or something too, or maybe ours were switched and she figured it out.

I gathered my stuff and headed up myself as it was taking forever. The woman and her kids scooted out the door ahead of me, and I asked the waitress if she had the itemized bill.

She grinned ear to ear and said, "Someone took care of your bill."

I was shocked. At first I thought she meant the manager wrote it off, so I said, "Really? Are you sure? No one had to do that, I just wanted to make sure of the total, but I could have paid it no problem."

She smiled ear to ear and said, "Nope! Someone wanted to take care of it for you," and looked as joyfully surprised at their kindness as I did.

Wow.

These little things seem to be happening to me a lot now. Just like the job interview that BD4's Dr hooked me up with- with her own best friend. When this happens I always think- Why? I used to work at the office where BD4's Dr is, but she wasn't in the practice, only knows me from bringing my kids in, and her belief in me to the degree to suggest me to her best friend? Wow.
Anyway...these are the things, in addition to my friends and family and kids, that seem to lift me thru this heavy time. I thought I'd share. This stuff doesn't seem to happen to me all the time - only when I'm really in a difficult place. Little by little- faith seems restored. Not just thru those who know and love me, but thru those who have no idea how treating my daughter and myself to dinner and ice cream made a dark day so much brighter- even if just for a minute.

Thanks, as always, for listening.