Yesterday I had to run some errands & decided to take all 4 kids and make it more of a field trip. I saw the "Hot & Ready" sign at Krispy Kreme's and thought it might be fun to take the kids to see how donuts are made. The kids loved watching the donut process- I was just looking forward to eating the warm donut they hand you at the end of the line. While we were watching the donut process, we started talking to a woman and her grand-daughter Brinley. They were having a "Grandma's Day Out." After talking to them for a little bit, the kids decided to pick out their donuts. I was a little surprised when I noticed the price of the donuts and they were each .95 just for a glazed! (Wow prices have gone up from when I went there during my college years) So, in my mind I was thinking that maybe we would just get 3 donuts and split them. Right then Hallie came and asked me for some pink milk. I told her we were just getting donuts because the milk cost too much money. As I was debating if I wanted to buy a couple of donuts or a dozen for a couple $ more, the woman we had been talking to told me she had a "Buy one get one free" coupon and she would like to get them for us. Then she said with a smile on her face, "Go Ahead- pick out a dozen donuts!" I told her we were fine & she insisted on getting them for us. I even tried to pay her & she said she wanted us to have them. Not only was she giving me the donuts, but she had a 6 other boxes of a 1/2 dozen donuts each. I asked her if she was going to a party of something with all the donuts and she said, "No, they are for the sisters I visit teach & I home teach with my husband so they are for those families as well." I told her they are lucky to have her. We talked a little more while eating our "free warm donuts" in the line & then on the way outside. As I thanked her again I told her that she was an angel. I hope I can be like her! What Christ like love & a wonderful example, especially for my kids. As we got in the car ready to be on our way- I stopped and told the kids we needed to say a prayer to thank Heavenly Father for the sweet angel who had made our day even brighter. As I quickly prayed (yes in the Krispy Kreme parking lot :) ) the tears quickly came as I remembered long ago when another angel had blessed my life by a gift of service.
I was about 10 or 11 and we had taken a family vacation to Jackson Hole Wyoming & Yellowstone. While we were in Jackson, all 7 of us kids & my parents were window shopping at all of the little shops. I remember one particular candy store & looking in the window. I loved watching the big machines pull & stretch the cream colored taffy over and over again. We went into the little shop and saw rows and rows of different colored blocks of fudge. They looked delicious! I'm sure the price was not delicious, however, my parents bought a little to share with each of us. As we were outside in front of the the fudge shop, my parents divided the small piece of fudge for each of us. My mouth watered for more, but I knew we wouldn't be able to get any more. Just then, an older couple came out with 2 large blocks of fudge. They came up to my parents and said they had noticed our large family & how each of us loved watching the fudge & taffy being made in the window. They then gave my parents the blocks of fudge to share with us. I remember feeling so blessed because of having more fudge, but also because of the service they had given our family, and in such a small gesture. I wanted to be angels just like them from that moment on.
So, yesterday as we were blessed by this sweet angel, I knew once again that even when we do simple things for others we are the Lords instruments and we can be an angel.