First off, we now have our very own BYU linebacker in the family! His name is Kyler Kasperson (A.K.A., Ky Ky, Ky Babe, Tubby Bubbers, Chubby Chunkers, Chunky Monkey, Beautiful Boy, etc., etc. ... I'm sure you've heard of him - he's quite famous).
Oh, and he's not just your average player. Check out what he's sporting on the side of his helmet ...
That's right!! I'm sure all you BYU fans out there are feeling pretty jealous right about now! ;)
He'll be joining the team for about 3-4 months. He has a flat spot on the back of his head that he's had since birth. It was caused from the way he sat in the womb. The doctor had us doing special stretches on his neck for months, and although it's helped his flat spot get better, it hasn't completely fixed it like we'd hoped it would. Katelyn had the same problem, but the stretches worked great for her.
The helmet doesn't seem to bother him much and I think he looks rather cute in it ... especially since Grandpa Kasperson took the time to decorate it in BYU stickers. Thanks Grandpa! :) I'm just grateful that there's a way to fix it and that insurance covered it 80% (those things are EXPENSIVE!!).
I FINALLY finished the binding on Kyler's quilt this last week! It's been hanging over a chair in our room haunting me for about 10 months now. It only took me a couple hours to finish it, too, haha. It's done now and that's all that matters, right?
I pulled out the camera on Sunday and took a few shots of Kyler with his new favorite blanket. Isn't he adorable?! I just LOVE his squishy little self! Just looking at these pictures makes me want to go hold him and squeeze him and kiss his chubby wittle cheeks!!!
Katelyn turned 3 last weekend, so we had the family up for dinner and a party on Saturday to celebrate. Lots of fun!
Notice the sad looking balloons in the pictures? David went to Walmart just before the party started because we needed a few things - including balloons. They told him at the store to buy a pack of balloons and then go to where the tanks are and they would fill them up ... so he did. Only to find out that all of their helium tanks were empty. :/ There wasn't time to go to another store and Katelyn was so excited about having balloons ... so we improvised. She didn't miss balloons that actually float AT ALL. I love that 3 year olds are so easy to please! ... well, sometimes anyway. haha :)
Which brings me to the story ...
So, David went to Walmart to pick up some things before the party. When he's at the check out counter and they tell him what it all costs, he goes to grab his wallet and realizes ... oops! Forgot it at home. :/ By this point the party was about to start and if he came home to get his wallet, went back to the store, and then back home again it would make him really late to the party. He asks the checker if he can just give her the credit card number to pay, even though the actual card wasn't there. She said, "no". At that point a man walks up next to him, swipes his card and pays for the whole bill without saying a word.
David. Was. Mortified.
He told the man not to pay for it. He said he would just go home and get his wallet. He explained that we're doing just fine financially, and we really don't NEED him to pay for our groceries. He told him his wife would DIE if she found out that someone else paid for our bill (and yes, I would die if I found that out) ... long story short, they went back and forth about it and the man INSISTED on paying. He simply smiled and said, "I'm a lot bigger than you and I'm paying for it. Just pay it forward to someone else someday."
So, David thanked him and left with our $45 worth of groceries.
Now, when David first told me this story all I could think about was how EMBARRASSING it was that someone else had paid for our groceries. I asked him if anybody we knew was around to witness it - he didn't think that there was ... ("thank goodness", was my thought).
I told David that he needs to start shaving more often and wearing nicer clothes, because he looked pretty homeless that day. I was certain the man had paid for him because he thought that David LOOKED like he needed the money.
It continued to be on my mind the rest of the night ... SO EMBARRASSING!! After everybody had left our house that night, David and I were cleaning up the mess and I silently continued to think about it ... and I started to think about it a little bit differently after a while ...
I thought about the man who had paid the bill ...
Wow ... that was really kind of him.
... I'm sure he probably feels really great about the fact that he paid someone else's grocery bill ... especially since it was someone who really LOOKED like he needed his bill paid ...(my eyes roll)
Then I thought about us again ...
What if someone we know DID see it happen??
... they probably think terrible things about us now, like - "Look, there's David Kasperson ... no wonder they're building a house, he just lets other people pay for his groceries." ...
... We aren't "needy"! It's terrible those 45 dollars were wasted on us ... they should have been used on somebody else ...
Then it hit me ...
What's so wrong with helping some who could use some help? Why does someone, in my mind, have to be "needy" in order to receive help?
I don't know what all went through this man's head when he decided to pay for David's groceries. Yes, it's possible he thought David was "needy" ... but isn't it also possible that he was just being kind??
While I'm grateful to this man for paying so David could be on time to the party and help me finish preparing dinner, I'm even MORE grateful to him for what he has taught me through this experience ...
So often when performing acts of service, I think we (myself included) tend to search out those we classify as "needy". They are (in our minds) the ones "truly worthy" of receiving our help. Which is true - we should help those people ... but that's only PART of the whole picture ... Regardless of what anyone's current situations in life might be - WE ALL ARE IN NEED OF HELP AT TIMES. We should all be ready and willing to give that help without passing judgements of whether or not they look "needy" or whether or not they look like they are "well off" and should be able to take care of themselves.
I honestly no longer feel embarrassed ... only GRATEFUL. Grateful for the lesson this man has taught me.
I'm SO EXCITED for an opportunity to "pay it forward".
3 comments:
That is a really cool experience actually. You don't hear of that often, and probably because we are too embarassed about what others will think so we never tell of how others have helped us. I love this pay it forward thing. I might have to start one! =)
Love the quilt and the balloon story and of course the pay it forward story. Such a good insight on service. By the way, after seeing those pics of Kyler with his quilt I feel obligated to let you know that I am ready for you to take my kids' pictures again whenever you are! :)
What an awesome story! I know that the man who paid for the groceries LOVED doing it. I paid for a loaf of bread for someone once. The woman in line behind me didn't have enough money to cover her grocery bill, so she told the cashier just to put one of her loaves of bread back. I walked up & told the cashier not to do that & swiped my debit card for the difference. The woman told me basically the same things that David told that man, she didn't need it, etc. but I told her it really wasn't a big deal. It was only a few bucks, and I was happy to do it. Even though it was just a $3 loaf of bread, it was an awesome experience for me. I was so happy to be able to be able to help someone. So, don't feel bad. Just know that you helped someone gain some blessings in heaven. :)
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