Inflation

 



I was at the grocery store today and inwardly cringing at price increases. 


Seriously? $6 for dinner rolls? And $8/lb for ground beef! I thought about my grocery budget and our family shifts to more simple meals and budget reallocation.  Fortunately 14 years on one teacher's salary taught us how to not just make due with less, but thrive.  


Then I watched an elderly lady carefully checking and rechecking the prices and putting things back on the shelf with a sad shake of her head.  Things like oatmeal. And cheese.


And I thought of the times in our life when an extra $10-15 for groceries would have been an impossibility.  I thought of the families I know who were struggling to get by BEFORE prices started to climb. 


Then I thought of my Grandma  and that this sweet woman in front of me was possibly someone's grandma.  And that I didn't want her to go to sleep with hunger pangs.


I handed her some cash (which I almost never have with me) and told her to make sure she got enough to eat.  She blinked back tears and thanked me.  


And I added a couple more packages of pasta to my cart. You can't share from an empty pantry.


It was a good reminder that while we all face increased prices the impact is felt more deeply by some.


And that we can all give generously.


Matthew 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.


I'm making a commitment to have cash, no matter how small an amount, with me to share.  To look up from my phone and be aware of needs.  To increase my fast offerings and build up my pantry.  To invite to share meals more often.  


We can all give generously. 

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