Struggling Mom Didn't Have Enough to Cover Her Grocery Bill Until Thanksgiving Act of Kindness

A Thanksgiving act of kindness helped put food on the table for a family struggling to make ends meet. And it goes to show no kind deed is too big or too small to make a difference!

John Gray, a newspaper journalist in NY, shared an inspiring short story of how an act of kindness gave one family the perfect Thanksgiving. And while this modern-day parable may possibly be a work of fiction, the moral rings powerfully true.

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John's story focuses on a struggling mom, Margaret Houlihan. Because of health issues, Margaret couldn't work. So, she stayed home and took care of the kids and house while her husband worked at a nearby factory.

God made sure the family always had just enough. But like so many Americans, they lived paycheck to paycheck with no cushion should any unexpected expenses arise.

As Thanksgiving Day neared, Margaret skimped and saved. Her goal was to have enough money to buy a fresh turkey for the first time ever, instead of a frozen one.

"Now, there was nothing wrong with a frozen bird," John writes. "But every year, Margaret would find herself staring longingly through the glass case, at the local supermarket, at the ‘fresh turkeys,’ wishing she could afford one."

A Helpful Tip

Margaret's hopes were dashed when she finally showed up at the grocery store with the money she'd saved. As Sal at the meat counter showed her the price of a fresh turkey, she realized her dream was impossible.

"I knew they were more expensive, but I didn’t realize they’d be three times as much as the frozen ones," she glumly told the butcher.

Sal noticed Margaret's "weathered shoes and faded coat" with missing buttons and his heart broke. So, he gave Margaret a tip. Any fresh turkeys left on the day before Thanksgiving would be marked half price.

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With Margaret's hopes restored, she told Sal she would see him the day before Thanksgiving.

But in the coming days, Sal watched the fresh turkeys fly off the shelves. He knew it would take a special Thanksgiving act of kindness to make sure Margaret got one. So, he took one out of the case and hid it in the freezer in the back.

A Thanksgiving Act Of Kindness

On the day before Thanksgiving, Margaret showed up at the meat counter to see if any fresh turkeys remained. Sal marched to the back and brought her the one he had saved.

Delighted, Margaret headed for the checkout. But the grocery store manager confronted Sal. The manager didn't know about Sal's Thanksgiving act of kindness, only that he'd broken the rules by stashing a fresh turkey in the back freezer.

"I did set it aside, but not for me," Sal explained, pointing to Margaret at the checkout.

The grocery store manager noticed the same things about Margaret that Sal had -- her tattered coat and shoes. He watched as she laid out her coupons and carefully counted the money she'd saved.

And when the total for all of her items appeared at the register, her face fell. Margaret was four dollars short.

The store manager marched over to the register and spoke directly to the cashier.

"Susan, did you not see the sales signs we put out today? Everyone who buys a fresh turkey gets a free pumpkin pie. Take that pie off her bill, please," he said.

Margaret now had enough money to pay her bill, along with the Thanksgiving dinner of which she'd dreamed.

Be sure to read the full version of John Gray's story HERE.

Be Inspired By Thanksgiving Act Of Kindness

It's unclear if John Gray's story about a Thanksgiving act of kindness is a true event he witnessed or rather, a work of fiction. But there are certainly plenty of real-life examples of grocery store acts of kindness, such as the Walmart cashier who paid for a stranger's groceries or the time a woman dropped everything to help an elderly man at the grocery store.

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Kindness is all around us. And if you don't see it, perhaps God is calling you to be the light by stepping up and performing a simple act of kindness!

"Put on therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance" Colossians 3:12

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h/t: Love What Matters

Featured Image: Getty Images/cyano66

Mel is the senior writer for GodUpdates, finding, writing and sharing Christian, uplifting, and health-related stories from around the world. Mel has a passion for writing and graduated with a degree in English from Randolph-Macon College in Virginia. When she’s not researching and writing stories, Mel is very active in her church. You can usually find Mel playing board games with her husband and two young girls, giving someone a hug, or hunting down a good cup of coffee!