On the evening of Dec. 30, I gave birth to a baby girl at Porter Medical Center. By the time my husband and I were settled in for the night following our daughter’s birth, it was too late to order food at the hospital or anywhere in town.
My husband drove to Hannaford in the few minutes before the store closed, grabbed some snacks, and went to check out, only to realize that in his state of euphoric distraction, he’d forgotten to bring his wallet. He explained our unique situation and asked the cashier if it would be possible to keep the store open long enough for him to run back to the hospital to grab his wallet. The cashier said no, it was closing time, but then took out his own wallet and graciously paid for our food.
Two days later, when my husband stopped in at the grocery store on our way home from the hospital and tried to pay this man back, he politely refused to accept the money.
We named our daughter Grace, after her great grandmother, although it struck us as a wonderful coincidence — how this simple yet extraordinary act of kindness epitomizes one of the many definitions of grace.
Though it is far too easy to forget these days, good will and compassion fill our world. Grace is all around us.
Hilary Poremski-Beitzel
Florence