A Good Place

I am glad to be living in a rural area where small towns dot the countryside and most people are helpful and friendly. I remembered this story from my past and wrote it down. I hope it’s an encouragement to you, not only to be glad to live in a good place but to be a part of the reason that the town or area where you live is a good place. I am glad to be living near the small town where I was raised, and it’s still a good place.

A Good Place

(A true small town story)

There was a time, due to my husband’s job, that we moved to a small town in south Missouri. We bought a house a few miles outside of town and began life in a new place where I didn’t know anyone. It was January and an unusually cold winter with ice and snow on the ground. That part of the country was full of hills and hollers that made it difficult for road crews to deal with so much ice and snow that stayed for so long. The school stayed closed for longer than it had in many years. It caused pipes in houses to freeze and all sorts of weather related problems.

Finally, when the roads were cleared, I ventured out to the grocery store with three small children in tow. It was a chore to get all three children bundled up and loaded in the vehicle but I managed to get the the kids, diaper bag, purse, and whatever else the kids were dragging along with them in the car. Finally, I was off to the local grocery store.

When I arrived, I put the baby in the shopping cart so I could shop and also keep track of my two girls. It wasn’t easy but finally my shopping was done and I was in the check-out lane.

While one daughter was asking for candy that was strategically placed near the front register and the other daughter loudly singing, Jesus Loves Me, I just smiled as we were drawing attention from other shoppers. As the lady in front of me was finishing her transaction, I pulled out my purse to get ready to pay when to my dismay, I realized that I didn’t have my billfold. I had no money! I suddenly remembered taking my billfold out of my purse at home to reach for my car keys that had slipped into the bottom of my purse and I had forgotten to put the billfold back. I didn’t know what to do because I had no way to pay for my groceries. I figured I was about to make an impression with folks in this new town where we had just moved and it wasn’t going to be a good one.

The cashier said, “Good morning, How are you today?” If he only knew, I thought to myself. Well, there was nothing to do but tell him so I began trying to explain what had happened while at the same time, prying two packages of gum from the display out of my baby son’s clenched fist. I asked the cashier if he could hold the cart full of groceries for me as I explained it would only take thirty minutes to go home and get my billfold.

“You’re the new family in town, aren’t you?” he said, “I heard about you.” News travels fast in a small town and I was thinking, here comes that not so good impression, but I was in for a surprise.

The cashier picked up an item from my cart and said, “Let me get you checked out and give you the amount and you take your groceries on home so that ice cream won’t melt. Just come back and pay before the end of my shift at 3:30.

As I was trying to thank him, he just smiled and said, “Welcome to Doniphan.” It was at that moment, that I knew we had come to a good place.

By Pamela Perry Blaine

January 2023