CityView Magazine

I walked over to the baking powder shelf with her, and I picked up a small tin and handed it to her. ���If you don���t bake very often, perhaps you should buy the smallest one so that it doesn���t go to waste.��� She smiled and thanked me. I started to walk away, but she spoke again. ���I used to bake all the time for my family, but since they all died, I don���t have anybody to cook for. I thought I would try to bake something for Easter.��� I froze. Memories of another lonely shopper in the baking aisle sprang to mind. Maybe I needed another reminder that what I regarded as holiday stress would seem like a bustling, joyous occasion to someone else. It was all a matter of perception, and mine apparently was out of kilter. I turned around and walked over to her. I asked her to tell me about her family, and then I listened as she told me her life story ��� how she had grown up on a farm, married and had children at an early age, worked in a school cafeteria until severe arthritis forced her to retire, and then lost her husband and two sons. She recounted these events in a matter-of-fact way, without any regret or self-pity. This was her life, with all its joys and sorrows. Although we spoke for only a few minutes, our conversation stayed with me for a long time. I found it incredible that two such momentous encounters would occur in the exact same spot, but, then again, maybe not. I believe that sometimes people are put in our path to teach us something important that we need to learn or to remind us of something we already know but may have forgotten. In my case, perhaps it was a bit of both. And for shoppers who think that a grocery store is just a place to buy groceries, I would advise them to keep their eyes, ears and hearts open ��� especially in the baking aisle. CV Mary Zahran lives in Fayetteville, where she happily cooks holiday meals for her family and continues to seek enlightenment at the grocery store. She can be reached at maryzahran@gmail.com. Get 4 Issues View Cityfamily Across the GenerAtions per year of CityView family Across the GenerAtions delivered to your door for ONLY $12 call today 910.423.6500 or visit us at www.CityViewNC.com ASSISTED LIVING THAT CARES FOR YOUR LOVED ONES LIKE FAMILY, YOU���VE FOUND CAROLINA INN! ASSISTED LIVING | DEMENTIA CARE Just because Mom & Dad are older and require personal assistance does not mean that their lives have to be lived differently. . The Carolina Inn offers the highest certified staff to resident ratio in the area, providing round-the-clock assistance to meet our resident���s individual needs. Contact Nancy Peterson today to learn more! 910.829.0100 400 FORSYTHE STREET, FAYETTEVILLE, NC | WWW.CAROLINAINNNC.COM CityViewNC.com | 13

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