Grab a tissue: Heartwarming letter about bell ringer

Today for me was like any other day off from work. I had lots of errands to run and was in my usual structured fast pace. I stopped at a grocery store in Lakeville and noticed festive evergreen arrangements outside the store. As I was picking one up to purchase, I noticed The Salvation Army’s red bucket hanging on its stand. At that particular moment there was no volunteer ringing the familiar bell. I humbly admit that I am a good person who loves God and loves people, and I am inspired by the goodness of others in what seems to be our otherwise cruel world. However, I have always had a natural distrust of large fundraising organizations and, admittedly, I have rarely given to the little red buckets of The Salvation Army … until today, when I met an angel named Degra.

When I saw the unattended bucket, I breathed a sigh of relief because I wouldn’t have to feel guilty that I was yet again passing it by without dropping in a few pieces of loose change.

I went into the grocery store, chose my items and looked for the checkout line that looked like it was moving the fastest. I ended up behind an elderly gentleman who was in a motorized cart. I noticed that when the cashier handed the man his change, he could barely hold out his hand to hang onto it. His trembling hand put the change in his jacket pocket and he started on his way out of the store.

I couldn’t keep my eyes off this sweet gentleman. I decided to slowly follow behind him. I looked around for a relative or a friend who would surely show up at any minute to help him leave the store, but nobody appeared. I hoped that a store employee would at least see that he was alone, but everyone was going about their busy work day. My last hope was that there would be somebody waiting in a car outside the store to help him load the car and take him home. That hope quickly vanished as he proceeded to slowly make his way from the electronic cart to pull himself up to a regular grocery cart. I asked him if he was planning to put his five grocery bags in the grocery cart and he said, “Yes.” I asked him if I could help him and he said I could. I helped him load the grocery cart and then I asked if I could help him to his car. He told me no thank you, that he would be OK.

At that moment I reluctantly left the store and spotted the angel, Degra, ringing the bell. She smiled at me and wished me a good day as I acknowledged her and wished her the same, yet once again passed her red bucket empty-handedly. I got to my car and loaded my groceries, all the while thinking about that sweet elderly man who must now be struggling to get to his car and load his five heavy bags.

I sat in my car, looked around and spotted the man parked in the first handicapped parking spot. Lo and behold, the angel was loading his car for him. In my busy errand-filled day, all I could do was sit and watch the love of God in action. The angel not only helped the lovely elderly man load his car, but she also helped him sit in his car and proceeded to talk with him briefly. When she finished, she walked back to her little red bucket. I found myself reaching for my billfold. I pulled out my last $20 and headed for the front of the store.

As I was approaching the angel and her little red bucket, I could she her lips quietly moving in what I know was prayer. She felt as touched, and at the same time as disheartened, as I did that this sweet man had nobody to care for him today.

I walked up to her and for a split second, we just looked at each other as if we knew why we were each there at that moment. I asked if I could give her a hug. At that moment, we began to weep. We gave one another what I consider to be the most Godly embrace I have ever felt from another human being.

I asked what her name is. “Degra,” she replied. I told Degra that I have rarely given to the little red bucket, but she was the reason I decided to come back to the front of the store. I carefully folded my last $20 and placed it in the bucket. I congratulated her for being so very kind to the elderly gentleman. She could have thanked me and I would have been on my way.  Instead, with tears running down her cheeks, she poured out her feelings at how anyone like that would have to do such a difficult task alone. She said she asked him why he didn’t have his food delivered to him and he told her that he used to have help with groceries, but it was stopped.

With tears running down my own cheeks, I was so very touched by the kindness of Degra that my focus went from feeling so terribly bad for what looked like a lonely, nearly immobile elderly man to the loveliness shown by this angel disguised as a Salvation Army bell ringer.

All the way home I literally bawled and prayed that God would bless Degra in magnificent ways. She is such a beautiful testimony to the power of God’s love.

I will probably never again pass by the little red bucket without thinking of God’s angel, Degra, and will most assuredly not pass by empty-handed.