Selfless With A Smile

   Have you ever met someone that just put a smile on your face?  Well, I have.  I met a woman that works at a local convenience store where I occasionally pick up sandwiches, drinks and other convenient items.  About a year ago, I started talking to this woman and we became friendly.  I soon began to realize that it was not just me that she was so amazingly kind to, it was everyone that walked through the doors of this convenience store.   How often is it these days where you meet someone and they make you feel so welcomed to be in their presence?  Well, I live in New Jersey and that is a rare occurrence because it seems like everyone is always in a rush. 
 
     This acquaintance of mine, this woman that I see once every few weeks now recognizes me and continuously calls me Kimmy.  However, my name is not Kimmy.  But, to her that was my name.  I let it go for a few months or at least until we got into a few deeper conversations. This woman to me was just so pleasant to be around that I really did not care what she thought my name was.  I liked her so much that I did not want to offend her.  Eventually, I told her that my name was Heather and not Kimmy.  We giggled about that for a few minutes. 
 
     About now the secret of my first name was finally revealed, this acquaintance of mine started to become a friend as we started to become more personal with one another.  We started discussing our lives and revealing much more important information ourselves then just our first names.  I came to realize that this friendly woman with a constant smile on her face was going through some hard times.  Now, I am not the type of person to ask for help and neither is she.  But, if you were to ask her for the shirt off her back, she would give it to you.  So, in return I would like to ask for any help possible for an amazing person. 
 
 
Here is her story…
 
     Cindy has three daughters.  Their ages are 14, 18, and 19.  She was sharing an apartment with her children and then lost her primary job. When the landlord found out, he opted not to renew their lease.  Cindy’s only option was to move in with her mother.  Her 19-year-old daughter stayed with her and her two youngest daughters went to live with other members of the family. Cindy’s eldest daughter soon became pregnant and her daughter’s boyfriend later moved in with Cindy and her mother and a baby soon followed (Cindy’s 1stgrandchild).   At this time, Cindy had to purchase two storage units for all of their belongings. The first one that she purchased, she put their furniture in.  The second one that she purchased, she put gifts from her daughter’s baby shower in and all of their winter clothes and jackets.   
 
           
     Life happens and finances become expensive.  Cindy has not been able to get any of her family’s warm clothes for the cold winter soon coming.  But, if you visit Cindy at this local convenience store, she still has a smile on her face and people come just to greet her.  She knows about everyone’s lives and always asks questions like, “How’s your wife and baby?” or  “How was work today?”.  There is even a man that occasionally comes in and buys a few lottery tickets and tells Cindy to hold onto them.  He tells her that he trusts her and if she wins, they will split the fortune.  She is always just that warm lovable person that everyone looks forward to see. 
 
     I brought up the suggestion of a Go Fund Me page to Cindy and she said that there are people in this world that are in worse situations than she is.  I agreed, but we don’t have many Cindy’s in this world and I feel good people really just need a little help sometimes. This woman’s smile just brightens my day and many other people’s that she comes across. 
 
     Cindy needs help getting her belongings out of these two storage units. This donation already includes her late fee of $500.00 that will be soon coming up on December 28, 2018. If Cindy does not have the total of $2,380.00 by January 17, 2018, her storage units will be sold off.  Cindy and her family also need to move.  Her granddaughter is now a 1 month old.  Her mother’s house has been sold.  I would also like to include a down payment and a few months rent for Cindy to get back on her feet.  I would love to raise about $8,000.00.
 
     If I have learned anything from Cindy, it is to be a kind and better person. Please find it in your hearts to help a little this holiday season.  Cindy’s smile goes a long way.  Please help Cindy’s smile get even larger this holiday season.  She continues to put smiles on so many faces that cross her path. She is just a beautiful person inside and out. 
 
                                                                  Thank you from every piece of my heart.