When God Nudges by Patty LaRoche

When God nudges, obey.  The blessing will bring a smile to your face and peace to your heart, and who doesn’t need that?

In a Walmart store here in Las Vegas, two days after Veterans’ Day, I stood in line behind an elderly man who wore a Navy Seals’ shirt and a Purple Heart hat.  “Thank you for your service,” I said.  He answered, “You’re welcome.”  He placed five frozen T.V. dinners and four packets of hangers on the conveyor belt.

Typical for my line-choosing for a cashier, the woman ahead of him had some issues with her purchases.  This time, I didn’t mind.  It gave me a perfect opportunity to ask him about his military experience.  He was a member of the original Frogmen, a precursor to the Navy Seals.  He, like Dave and my Mazatlán friend, Howard, had been part of the underwater demolition team, planting recording devices in the ocean around Russia.

I told the gentleman about how Howard had an explosive device go off near his head on one of his similar operations, causing his eardrum to burst. This man said that the Russians had detonated those devices when he was on a mission.  His hearing didn’t suffer, but he had spent a lifetime with severe migraines.

This veteran later served in Vietnam, returned to America where he taught self defense to teachers and got his black belt in Tae Kwon Do.  He had to retire when “there was an accident on  a bus.”  He did not seem to want to tell me what that incident was.

That’s when I felt God’s nudging.  “Pay his bill.”  Stepping ahead of the elderly man, I told the cashier what I was going to do.  My new friend shared that he had plenty of money; he had no family and lived alone.  I said that it was my blessing and that it was one small way I could thank him for his service.  He continued to tell me that I didn’t need to pay for his things.

Good grief, I thought, I’m going to have to tackle this guy so that I can be obedient to God.  The cashier spoke up.  “I think this is an angel experience.  Paying it forward.”  I had to laugh and assured her that I had no idea if angels were involved but that I was sure this was something God wanted me to do.  The veteran asked if he could shake my hand.  I told him that this small gift was my privilege and definitely my blessing.  We shook hands, he thanked me, took his bags and shuffled out of the store, clearly disbelieving what had just happened.

When I paid my bill and the cashier spun the carousel around and handed me my plastic bags, she gave me two extra bags filled with hangers I had not bought.  Apparently, the veteran had been so shocked by what had happened, he left the store without two of his bags.

Lovely.  My attempt to bless this poor old guy now turned into him having to make another trip to Walmart to retrieve his purchases.  I hurried out of the store and looked for him in the parking lot, to no avail.

I sure hope he was blessed with his frozen dinners.  The cashier sure seemed to be blessed.  And I know I certainly was…even though I was missing the smile on my face and peace in my heart.