A fifty-dollar lesson in patience

"Patience is a virtue Possess it if you can. Sometimes found in women. Never in a man." More often, "Patience is its own reward." But not this time. My wife, Lillian, had finished her weekly grocery shopping and found herself in the checkout line behind a woman who had purchased two dozen single bottles of a beverage, along with other products. The clerk felt that each bottle needed to be protected with individual wrapping. This took an inordinate amount of time, through which my wife waited silently. The customer paid and left with her purchases. As my wife, in turn, was getting ready to run her own credit card, the clerk said to her: "The lady that just left said that you were the most patient person she'd ever seen. She asked me to apply this toward your own groceries." It was a $50 bill. Whomever you were, ma'am, we thank you most for the lesson you taught us, especially me.

Ray Smith

Wheaton