Do I know you?

I got a email today that was from a friend who usually only sends the "fwd" ones. Typically they are good though and as I was reading it, it backed up exactly what I was thinking about for the past few days. Below is a phrase on the email that was sent to me.

There are four things you can not recover.
The stone...after the throw.
The word...after it's said.
The occasion...after the loss.
The time...after it's gone.

I always try and think of what is going on in someone else's life...walk in their shoes if you will. It's makes you think twice about how you would react to a word or action. For instance over Christmas I selected a family for 12 days of Christmas that I saw as an amazing family and even though I didn't know them very well and they were not a family I would probably associate myself with I knew just how much they needed to know that they were a great family. In fact earlier I judged them too quickly. In the beginning of the school year scouts had just began and it was orientation night. One family stuck out like a sore thumb, the mother had no control over her children and she was loud and didn't seem to care that people were watching her yell at her kids with no care. She appeared to be a horrible mother. All the while the father sat there like he saw or heard none of this.
I later found out her son is autistic, she is just a loud spoken person by nature and a wonderful person around kids. She has a very creative touch and is the first to step up, volunteer and give a helping hand.

I will always remember the actions of a complete stranger, who I will always remember and who left a mark in my mind. It is quite an eye opener what humans will do for others.

* The teenage girl in the grocery store:
I was a young mother with my first newborn child. Our house needed groceries bad, I ventured to the store and spent way to long up and down the aisles so when it came time to pay for the groceries my young newborn had had enough of his car seat and was screaming at the top of his lungs. He was my first and I didn't want people staring at me, let alone I couldn't stand to see him suffer. I struggled to bag my groceries and sooth him the best I could, I felt as if the people in the line behind me were frustrated with the situation too... I was embarrassed and just wanted out of there. Then up comes a girl without saying much to me she starts bagging my groceries, I smile gratefully and was able to calm my child down. The girl's mother came up to her daughter because they were done with their needs in the store and she instructed the daughter to come with her. The daughter simply explained that she was helping me and that her mom could help to. I watched her mother set the pizza down and help her daughter with my groceries. I couldn't believe it! I cry to this day to think of the selfless act of that girl, who no doubt impressed me,her mother and the others around her to help someone in need. I am sure she has NO idea how much I appreciated that and still 9 years later she still has an impression on me.