The Dressing-room Disaster

The Dressing-Room Disaster

O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

My feet thudded on the pavement. Heart pounding, I arrived at the door of the store, out of breath as I reached the dressing rooms.

My sister Katrina lay on the ground, her head nestled in a stranger’s lap as the woman crooned softly to her, stroking her arm. She had collapsed in the dressing room, knocked unconscious by her battle with cancer and the effects it had ravaged on her body. She lay pale and still, her eyes half closed as she continued to recover from the faint, when I arrived flushed and breathless.

To be honest, I barely noticed the stranger in my haste to see my sister. Her indistinct features, soothing voice, and assurance that she was an off-duty nurse barely registered in the midst of my panic. As we waited for an ambulance and I gathered my sister to myself, I simply forgot about the woman.

For many years, my memory of that day was eclipsed by my anguish, knowing that even as Katrina lay there, disoriented and alone, multiple strangers stepped over her in their haste to try on sweaters and jeans. I forgot all about that stranger’s kindness. I forgot that someone, an off-duty nurse, did care. She took the time to set aside her clothing items and simply help. She recognized what had happened to Katrina, knew the confusion she would feel upon regaining consciousness, and treated her gently.

Looking back now, I’m so grateful for that stranger. I’m so thankful she took the words of Micah 6:8 to heart as she showed mercy and compassion for another. Because of her kindness, I’ve been able to reframe my memories, seeing that difficult time not only through a haze of remembered pain but also through a lens of remembered kindness.

—Kristin

— Today’s Act of Kindness —

Show a stranger kindness, even if it’s as simple as opening the door for them or putting their shopping cart back in the cart corral.