Hero at the Grocery Store
by Stephenie Meyer

Suddenly everyone was quiet. Even my rowdy children paused, feeling the change in the atmosphere.

Christmas stories happen in the most everyday places. I was part of one not long ago at the grocery store. I hope I never forget it, though the memory is bittersweet.

I had been shopping for almost an hour by the time I got to the checkout lines. My two youngest sons were with me, the four-year-old refusing to hold onto the cart, the two-year-old trying to climb out of the basket and jump down to play with his brother. Both got progressively whinier and louder as I tried to keep them under control, so I was looking for the fastest lane possible. I had two choices. In the first line were three customers, and they all had just a few purchases. In the second line was only one man, a harried young father with his own crying baby, but his cart was overflowing with groceries.

I quickly looked over the three-person line again. The woman in the front was very elderly, white haired and rail thin, and her hands were shaking as she tried unsuccessfully to unlatch her big purse. In the other line, the young father was throwing his food onto the conveyor belt with superhuman speed. I got in line behind him.

It was the right choice. I was able to start unloading my groceries before the elderly woman was even finished paying. My four-year-old was pulling candy from the shelf, and my little one was trying to help by lobbing cans of soup at me. I felt I couldn’t get out of the store fast enough.

And then, over the sound of the store’s cheery holiday music, I heard the checker in the other line talking loudly, too loudly. I glanced over as my hands kept working.

“No, I’m sorry,” the checker was almost shouting at the old woman, who didn’t seem to understand. “That card won’t work. You are past your limit. Do you have another way to pay?” The tiny old woman blinked at the checker with a confused expression. Not only were her hands shaking now, but her shoulders too. The teenage bagger rolled her eyes and sighed.

As I caught a soup can just before it hit my face, I thought to myself: “Boy, did I choose the right line! Those three are going to be there forever.” My mood was positively smug as my checker began scanning my food.

But the smiling woman directly in line behind the elderly lady had a different reaction. Quietly, with no fanfare, she moved to the older woman’s side and ran her own credit card through the reader.

“Merry Christmas,” she said softly, still smiling.

And then everyone was quiet. Even my rowdy children paused, feeling the change in the atmosphere.

It took a minute for the older woman to understand what had happened. The checker, her face thoughtful, hesitated with the receipt in her hand, not sure whom to give it to. The smiling woman took it and tucked it into the elderly woman’s bag.

“I can’t accept …” the older woman began to protest, with tears forming in her eyes.

The smiling woman interrupted her. “I can afford to do it. What I can’t afford is not to do it.”

“Let me help you out,” the suddenly respectful bagger insisted, taking the basket and also taking the old woman’s arm, the way she might have helped her own grandmother.

I watched the checker in my line pause before she pressed the total key to dab at the corner of her eyes with a tissue.

Paying for my groceries and gathering my children, I made it out of the store before the smiling woman. I had made the right choice of lanes, it seemed.

But as I walked out into the bright December sunshine, I was not thinking about my luck but about what I could not afford.

I could not afford my current, self-absorbed frame of mind.

I could not afford to have my children learn lessons of compassion only from strangers.

I could not afford to be so distant from the spirit of Christ at any time of the year—especially during this great season of giving.

I could not afford to let another stranger, another brother or sister, cross my path in need of help without doing something about it.

And that is why I hope never to forget the Christmas hero in the grocery store. The next time I have a chance to be that kind of a hero, I can’t afford to miss it.

Before the film started they gave away t-shirts & bracelets … I was lucky enough to get one of the t-shirts. Then they asked who were on Team Edward and who was on Team Jacob, which led to lots of screaming and shows of support. I do not want to give too much away and so I will do my best to make this spoiler free.

My first comment is that I believe that fans of the books will be pleased with the way Catherine Hardwicke (the director) and Summit adapted the stories to the big screen. While the film is not in the Academy Award category, the film was beautiful! Definitely visually appealing.

The studio did an amazing job with casting as each actor portrayed his or her part very well. I was especially pleased with Ashley Greene as Alice. She portrayed Edward’s fun loving younger sister exactly as I had imagined her. And Kellan Lutz is an amazing Emmett! I have always loved Peter Facinelli because I think he is so diverse and he didn't disappoint. I love the strength yet compassionate individual he makes Carlisle. Oh and Nikki Reed is fabulous as Rosalie … such a strong performance. I also was surprised by how well Billy Burke portrayed Bella’s father Charlie. I love the way they built the relationship between Bella and her dad.

The chemistry between Kristen and Robert is all that the fans hoped for. I love the small things between them show the intensity of the relationship between Bella & Edward. Personally I think that Kristen is the perfect person to play Bella. She is clumsy and yet portrays Bella as the strong woman that she is. Robert portrays Edward as the hesitant suitor who has strong feelings about what he is and how that affects Bella. So putting aside all the screaming fans, he really did an excellent job.

The part of Jacob is a small but important role in the first book/film. Taylor Lautner is awesome as Jacob Black. I can’t wait to see how he brings more to that part as the stories continue. (I have great faith that they will!) For those fans that are not Jacob fans I think that Taylor gives him a very likeable quality that most will see why these two characters are friends and build a relationship. Another thing I enjoyed was seeing Bella’s “human” friends brought to life. I enjoyed these characters and I felt like we were able to get to know them a little better.

My favorite scenes were the baseball scene and the scene where Edward takes Bella home to meet his family. I loved the humor that was added that helped the story flow. There are some differences to the story but mostly to help the story flow better as a movie and I didn't feel that they took away from the books.

I believe those who have not read the story will follow along easily yet for those of us who know the story well will enjoy the little details that were included. I can’t wait to go and see it again on Friday!

Thank you Summit Entertainment for giving me this opportunity!

A few days ago I received an invite to spend the evening with my group of friends; many of these individuals I have not seen in months. Part of me was excited while another part of me was nervous. We have all been going through various changes and I wasn’t sure what the night would bring.

Tonight proved to me that no matter what changes occur in our lives there is one thing that is always constant. Love. As I sat and caught up with my friends and then got wrapped up laughing over a game of “things” I had so many memories flash through my mind. And then to have arms wrapped around me in a hug and I found myself touched. That even though we all have changed that when we get together we share that one common bond.