DEAR ABBY: I am a single mom raising two kids. I work and also attend college full time. Every day we hear so many stories about what's wrong with the world, it makes it difficult to appreciate the good in society.
Sometimes it's hard for me to make my paycheck stretch throughout the entire week. The other day, I was at the store and had just enough money between my bank card, my cash and loose change to buy a small bottle of laundry detergent. Well, my bank card was declined. Abby, I was mortified. Near tears, I told the cashier to go ahead and cancel my purchase. Just then, the woman behind me set some money on the register to cover it. I thanked her.
This woman, a complete stranger, helped to pick up the slack for someone she may never see again. How many people would do that? I'd like to think it's karma for my having helped others in the past.
I would love you to print this. Maybe she'll see it and know how her kindness helped me to regain trust in a society where bad events usually outweigh the good. You never know when an angel is in your presence -- yet one was standing behind me in a checkout line. -- TOUCHED IN OKLAHOMA
DEAR TOUCHED: I'm glad you wrote, because it gives me a chance to remind folks that while bad events do occur, they do not overshadow the good ones. The problem is that the negative events are the ones that are highlighted in the media because they're attention-grabbers.
There are millions of caring and generous people in this country and one of them was the woman who helped you. It's very possible that someone helped her in a similar situation. Good deeds are like pebbles thrown into a pond. The ripples can spread far beyond the original "splash."