Pay it forward

I had an extraordinary thing happen today. I took Noah to Fred Meyer to look for a lunchbox (they don't have them now) and picked up a handful of grocery items. Checking out I was talking a lady in front of me with yellow roses and commented on how much I loved them, and so did she. Turns out we were both from Texas (Yellow Rose of Texas). And we had a short, pleasant visit. She moved my groceries ahead of hers and said, check her out before me. I said, oh no, that is not necessary and she insisted. Then ... she paid for my groceries and said someone had paid for hers the week before. Of course, I protested but she said, "pay it forward next time". 

I have never been so stunned. I wondered how bad I looked! Maybe I looked indigent? Matt said I looked fine. So this stranger was just doing me a kindness and it was wonderful. 

After Bri put the ornaments away, I am trying to get the tree un-fluffed, repacked and put away. I am waiting for Matt to finish his marinade to help me take the very top portion down. I am not getting on a ladder today. I feel like I am being punished a little when I have to take the tree down. 

Tree up, tree down. Bri is helping a lot with this process. But it made me remember when I was a little kid and the first time my mom woke me up in the car to make me walk inside instead of being carried. That is funny, I remember that awful, brutal awakening many times. Same with decorating Christmas trees. They don't magically appear and vanish as they did when we were small. God, it is hard to grow up, isn't it? 

David (nor now Matt) will never voluntarily start decorating a tree. If was left up to David, and in the beginning I did that ... it would be Christmas eve before he decided it was time. Even if we. had to purchase one! I do remember hauling a big tree in the house at the last minute and vowing to buy tall, slender fake trees which I could handled myself. Which is what I did.

I would love the vacuum up all of those pesky fake tree needles tonight if at all possible.