Right Place, Right Time

This weekend I had the rare chance to go to the mall...by myself.  And WOW I felt out of place.  Go back 13 years I probably would have paid better attention to what I wore and actually did my hair but my mission was to get Christmas dresses and get out.  Even if it meant I hadn't showered for the day, had no make up on and looked kind of like a frumpy mom.  I know I've let myself go but that has nothing to do with the story.

Anyway, I go to the mall and I am just not finding anything in jcp and I always find my dresses there.  Everything was really picked over after Black Friday.  So I ventured out to the other half of the mall and as I was walking for some reason I kept passing this young gentleman over and over again.  I love to people watch and for some reason something seemed different about this guy.  As I was making my way down the mall I passed him about 4 times in a 20 minute period and by this time I had made the full circle of the mall still coming up empty handed.  What struck me as odd was this guy was walking  back and forth while holding this little pink jacket but no little kids were around.  Matt called me at that time and asked me if I had gotten lost and I said no I'm just making my way back to the car when at that moment I turned and decided to see what boots they had a famous footwear.  When I walked into the store I tried not to overhear a conversation but listened in anyways.  Two little girls were found and at that moment they were calling security.  I know first hand what it feels like to lose your kid in the mall.  It's the most heart wrenching, gut dropping feeling and in the meanwhile of trying to find them you will think of every possibility of what could have happened to them and most of them are not good.

So, I preceded to making something that probably wasn't my business, my business.  I went to the store employee that had the children and asked if I could talk to the girls because there was a man walking back and forth.  I asked the little girl, probably about Macey's age, if her Daddy was wearing a white jacket and she said yes.  Then I asked her if she was wearing a pink jacket today and she said yes.  I told the employee that I would be back I think I know who her Dad is.  I quickly left the store and as I turned out of the store I saw the guy.  He just turned in the opposite direction so I started running to catch up to him.  It was obvious now to me he looking for something or someone.  I finally caught up to him and was wondering what to say and I just called out "Sir, are you looking for your children?"  He stopped dead in his tracks and gasped YES and I told him I know where they are.  He had tears in his eyes and you could see relief over his face as we quickly walked back and he said he had alerted security but had been searching for them for 20 minutes but his phone wasn't working to receive the call if they had found them.  I walked him back half way with him until I could see the kids and he ran to them.  I made sure he got to them and I walked away.  I can't help feeling I was in the right place and the right time.  I'm sure eventually he would've been united with them but maybe the ordeal would've been longer.  At least I was able to shorten that time of his worry.

I had just recently changed my prayers as of late asking to let me be of more help to those around me and I have noticed that more than one opportunity has come up.  It's nothing earth changing, just little things.  It strengthens my faith that maybe he really is listening to my prayers and he hasn't abandoned me as sometimes I feel.  It's been a very lonely road these past couple years and maybe he was waiting for me to be available again to help others out.