A Surprising Place to Find Grace
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. . .. For from his fullness, we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:14,16-17
One coping suggestion during challenging times is to find ways to be kind to others and to note the times others have been kind to you. Great Wolf Lodge (GWL) on a crowded Palm Sunday weekend, was an unexpected place to be on the grace-receiving end.
We arrived shortly after 1 pm on Saturday to celebrate our granddaughter Anne-Sophie’s 11th birthday with her sister Marie-Helene and her dads. I’m struggling with vocal problems. Saturday, my voice was a hoarse whisper, cracking like a boy whose voice was changing. Talking to the family had strained my throat, so I set off to find cough drops.
The Build-a-Bear store inside the front doors of GWL had oodles of candy but only one kind of hard candy. I was told it would cost $11.95 to buy a twelve-ounce plastic cup to dispense the hard candy into. That seemed exorbitant. I asked a young clerk if they had cough drops, and she recalled seeing some near the OTC drug items. She finally found a package of nine Halls Honey Lemon Drops, for the low price of $3.98. I gratefully made the purchase, thanking the clerk for being kind and helpful.
Ros and I waited for our rooms to be ready while the girls and their parents explored GWL. It was cold in the lobby, so I walked towards the Dunkin Donuts store just off the lobby. Using the computerized “clerk” (a computerized kiosk). I found coffee and tea but couldn’t determine if they had decaf. I needed a human to help me. I violated the sign at the entrance to the Store warning, “Place your order through the computers and wait for the text message that your order is ready,” and bravely stepped up to the counter with a living, breathing clerk. I explained to a young clerk that I couldn’t find decaf at the ordering kiosk. He asked what size I wanted. “Small,” I replied. He poured the cup and handed it to me. “What do I owe you?” I asked. “It’s on the house,” he replied. “Thank you for your kindness,” I replied.
I have lots of pictures of our family time. They are great memories. But the image replaying in my mind is of two young clerks, most likely still in high school, working weekends and their acts of kindness to me. I found grace upon grace at an overpriced family fun place.
Look for acts of kindness and find ways to be kind to strangers. ~ Anne
The girls and me outside of the Build-a-Bear Store
Wayfinding 