and another thing...

... that I am thankful for is. Freedom. A definite benefit of being a law-abiding citizen. Where did that come from, you may ask? Let me tell you about what was going in when I went from church to work.

I got out of my car in the parking lot at about 10:40, was walking towards the front of the store, when I encountered my friend P. She was waiting to give me one of her post-it notes from church, that had: "I'm grateful for you"  which was a great way to start my work day. We talked a few minutes, walking towards the door, and she said she had noticed several black-and-white cars parked near the entrance. I told her you can often see a big red ladder truck parked there, right by the signs that say: No Parking, Fire Zone. When it is close to lunch time, and the fire guys all come in looking for something to eat. So other emergency vehicles were really not unusual, as it was getting on towards the 'lunch-ing hour'.

But when I walked into the lobby of the store, I asked a worker who was sitting there about all the cop cars. He said: "What do you think?"  I replied they were either looking for lunch or there had been a shop lifting incident. He said:  "They caught someone". And went on to tell me that it was a young woman, who was boosting cosmetics, and strangely enough, her second trip into the store that day. The worst part: She had a baby, that she had left in the car.

I have pondered on this situation a lot, wondering what in the world she was thinking, and conclude she probably was not. Possibly due to being in a fog. As I cannot imagine the possibility of putting a child a risk. I have to believe she was simply not thinking. She was not even stealing anything essential, or something for the baby - no formula, or diapers, but frivilous, superfluous stuff.

I asked one of the managers, when she walked by later on in the afternoon if she  would mind tell me the woman's name. She is Alyshia. When she told me that, she asked if I knew her. I said I did not, but knew I needed to be praying for her. I continue to wonder about how that scenario played out. I am pretty sure Publix is very strict about enforcing their policy in regard to Five Finger Discounts. So unless she could call someone to come and pick up her baby, in a carrier, the child would have ended up in protective services. What a mess...