Sick Days and Paying it Forward

Monday when I woke up in the morning I felt terribly sick.  It felt like I had a popcorn kernel stuck in my throat and I was sweaty, great times right?  WRONG.  I hate being sick and now I especially hate being sick because I don't have my parents here to take care of me.  I'm a big baby when it comes to being sick...

Anyways... Wednesday I woke up feeling even worse.  This time I had a headache, I was sweaty, and my throat felt worse.  I wasn't even in the mood and didn't have the energy to do my makeup or my hair.  I went to class in an ugly, ratty pair of jeans and a hoodie.  I did not want to life.  The best part of all though is that I'm on my period!!! Yay!!!!!!!  And I also did not have enough feminine products to last me the days so off to Target I went.

A friend and I stopped for lunch at Panera after our Target run and then decided to grab some Starbucks.  I thought I needed a caffeine kick to make myself feel better, but it turned out I needed something else.  Whilst waiting in line to order, we were just talking and not paying attention to the people around us.  The lady working the counter got my attention when she asked what I wanted to order.  I told her my order then pulled out my phone to pay, but when I held it up for her to scan, she pushed it away and said the man before me took care of it already.  Confused, I asked her to repeat herself, and again, she told me that the man in front of me paid for it.  I was completely caught off guard and wasn't able to say anything but thank you.  He said "it's all for him" then handed me a business sized card when a picture of Jesus and a small Bible passage in Spanish on the back.  I thanked him so many times because I just could not believe it.

Here are some crappy iPhone shots of the card.  It looks like it's been passed around before the man gave it to me.

And here are the translations:

Front: "Jesus, I trust you"

Back: "Jesus promises extraordinary thanks by this image and these prayers:

Oh Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of mercy for us, I trust in You. (He prays three times)

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy

in the rosary, one prays:

Our Father, Hail Mary, A Creed

In the Our Father bead:

Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and the world.

In the accounts of Hail Mary:

By His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and the whole world.

Finally, three times, you pray:

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us and the whole world."

Being ill the past few days really brought my mood down, but this small gesture really made my mood shoot through the roof.  It made me so happy to know that there are people in the world who are still kind, thoughtful, and generous, and I am so grateful that I was able to experience this.  It was a humbling experience and it taught me that I can take the time to do these things for people as well.

Through preschool to high school, around Easter time, I was always taught to do things for others or to "pay it forward" but I never participated because guess who thought she was too cool to do those things??? Ya girl right here.  This experience has brought me back down to earth and now I intend to do something nice for someone without expecting anything in return.  I intend to pay it forward.

Thank you so much to the man who did this amazing thing for me and for teaching me such a valuable lesson.  It's really something that I needed and it changed who I am.  I challenge anyone who is reading this to do something nice for someone without expecting anything in return because it's just the right thing to do.  Do things out of love.

Thanks always for reading!

Love, Cat <3