The local Kroger chain had an offer for purchase a certain amount of groceries and get a Turkey for 49 cents a pound. I bought one. Whew are having dinner with 9 people. I had a turkey in the freezer and was not absolutely certain when I thawed it that it would be okay. So I cooked two turkeys! And they both look and taste great. We will certainly have leftovers!! Saved a turkey leg for our grandson who likes to pretend he is eating like a caveman!

Well, I had to be in Kroger again and now that there is room in the freezer I just could not resist that great price. I picked up a turkey using the plastic mesh and put it in the cart. At the checkout I left it in the cart and use the bar scanner to ring it in.

Took it out to the car and once I had a place cleared I again used the mesh to put it in the back of the car. When I got home I lifted it out of the trunk using the mesh, but on the way to the freezer I also supported the weight with my other hand. The thing was not frozen!!

What?!? I know it takes 3 days to thaw a frozen turkey in the refrigerator and even then there might be ice in the center. How long had this thing been thawed? I might never know. Was it safe to refreeze it? I did not want to know. I was worried about if it was even safe to consume. I had also bought it at a Kroger not close to my home. Grrr.

I had been running errands for hours and decided to take at least a short rest before I dealt with this.

I went to my local Kroger to see what could be done. My receipt had a time stamp on it. I figured I was good. There was a long line at the service desk. I had promised myself an afternoon Starbucks coffee. I purchased that first to ease the long wait.

The poor guy at the customer service desk looked as if he had been tortured for hours by angry, unhappy, nasty, customers. I gave him a smile. Told him to take a deep breath and told him my almost unbelievable saga.

He told me to go find a turkey as close to the weight of the original one as possible. When I returned to the line he was having an even worse day and had to call in someone in to deal with one outraged customer. Some shopping service had doubled the items on her shopping list and charged her bank account. She was livid.

I told him I found one within one pound of the unfrozen turkey. I told him I thought I owed him about 49 cents. He took my receipt, scanned the two turkeys and at first was so flustered he thought I owed him $7 and something. Then realized he forget to enter the reduced price and eventually said, “Yes, ma’am. that will be 49 cents please.”

This turkey was frozen solid and now lives in my freezer. I prayed for the poor fellow all the way home. In fact writing this I am moved to pray for all the retail workers who are having to put up with bad attitudes from customers. Kindness and gratitude cost us nothing. We should spend it lavishly! We are mostly an ungrateful bunch with “first world problems.” Stephen summed it up just before he was stoned for speaking truth.

“You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! ⁵² Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him— ⁵³ you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.” Act 7: 51-53 NIV

More than once God calls His people stiff-necked and ungrateful. Lord, please forgive us.

We need to get a load of gratitude. Perhaps this day is a time to begin a new habit that will benefit us always. Research says that listing at least 3 things we are grateful for each day can do us a world of good. So I urge you to begin today! What a great way to finish out the year!!

I think I likely need a small toy dump truck as an object lesson to myself about spreading a dump truck of gratitude every single day!