By Mike Renzella
The Haldimand Press
CALEDONIA—Whether it’s a busy schedule, the demands of parenthood, or a stressful job, we’ve all had those moments where life can feel overwhelming.
Recently, a Caledonia resident, who wishes to remain anonymous and will be called Mary for this story, had such a day. Fortunately, Mary found herself the recipient of a simple act of kindness.
“I do remember that day, feeling like a lot of the little things that I normally don’t notice or just breathe through, seemed difficult, more challenging, and things were just piling up,” explained Mary. Between dishes, laundry, diapers, booking appointments, anxiety about her children’s health, a nagging headache, and concerns for a family member struggling with mental health, drug addiction, and homelessness, Mary was feeling overwhelmed as she loaded her kids into the car to pick up a prescription at Shopper’s Drug Mart.
When she got there, she had trouble getting her car into park, and then couldn’t get the keys out of the ignition, while her youngest child cried in the back seat. Mary finally headed in to the pharmacy, where she realized she’d left her wallet in the car.
“At that point, I felt the first wave of emotion but was able to hold it back,” she said. “Most days this wouldn’t phase me, but it was not one of those days.”
Mary got her first break at the cosmetic counter, where an employee and two customers agreed to watch her kids while she ran out to her car.
“My gratefulness for their kindness on top of how overwhelmed I was already feeling made me cry,” Mary explained. “As I walked back in, I took a deep breath, but I knew it was going to be obvious that I had just been crying.”
One of the customers did notice, checking in if Mary was doing ok. Mary, lost in the moment, replied “no” as fresh tears streamed down her face. The customer asked what she needed, and the only thing she could think of was a hug.
“She says, ‘I was just going to say that’, then wraps me in a huge, comforting hug. I basically lose it completely at this point, but I didn’t care. I’m sobbing on this woman’s shoulder. It felt so good to know that they had my back…. My kids were safe. They weren’t even crying anymore. I was able to surrender to the pressure – even for just a moment.”
Later that night Mary began to wonder who those women were and shared her story on the Facebook group ‘What’s Up, Caledonia?’, where it garnered over 1,200 likes and over 100 comments of support.
“(A hug) seems so simple but also there’s a lot of trust that needs to be there without knowing each other at all,” said Mary of the encounter, noting how she has felt disconnected from others since moving to Caledonia. “This hug made me more confident in the community here. It’s harder to make friends as you get older, but I think maybe, I just need to be myself, honest and out there…. And next time, maybe I’ll be the one hugging someone.”
She concluded, “Thank you to those kind people, for your compassion and empathy. You were there in my moment of need. Merry Christmas.”
