The above is one of my all-time favorite quotes. Yesterday, I was graced with an opportunity to share these wise words with someone who really needed to hear them.

I stood in a busy grocery line, select items in tow. An elderly woman directly in front of me slowly, painstakingly removed the few groceries from her basket and placed them one at a time on the conveyor belt. I heard the first annoyed sigh from behind me, followed by a deeper one from the cashier. When the last item had been rung up, the woman began the task of searching inside her purse for money to pay for the groceries. Her hands shook. The cashier watched for a moment and then spoke with a tone of irritation, “Ma’am, we have a long line and you’re holding everyone up.” She looked up at him, obviously embarrassed by the situation. “I must have picked up the wrong purse,” she said softly, fumbling with the contents of the small brown purse. Her lip started to quiver, and she began to cry. Turning slightly, she glanced at me. “I’m so sorry.” It broke my heart. I moved quickly around my basket to place an arm around her frail shoulders and assure her, “I do that all the time, sweetheart. Don’t worry.” I paid for her groceries, and then summoned a young employee standing nearby to assist her. Looking again at me, she said tearfully, “God sent me an angel today.” I don’t know about that, but I’m hopeful a certain cashier will remember the scene forever and the words of my friend George Washington Carver. Be kind. Someday, sometime in your life you will surely need the same.