A Happy Shopping Trip... Finally!

Brielle and I went grocery again today... our usual Thursday afternoon outing. I was on alert after the incidents of the last few weeks.

We were checking out after an uneventful shopping trip through the aisles. The bagger was a young woman in her early 20's. She smiled and asked the usual questions. "Do you want your milk in a bag?... Did you find everything OK?... How are you doing today?..."

Then a bit of a shocker....

She turned to Brielle and asked, "What fun things have you been up to today, Cutie?"

Brielle turned to me puzzled. People rarely speak directly to Brielle, certainly not strangers. I encouraged her to answer the lady. Brielle started signing to me very energetically.

"My daughter said, 'I learned about magnets today at school with mom'," I interpreted for Brielle.

The woman's eyes lit up with a huge smile as she continued her work and asked, "What did you learn about magnets?"

Brielle smiled and signed for me to interpret all about how magnets attract and repel each other because they have a north and south pole. She giggled loudly as she signed about how it's not like Santa at the North Pole though. The lady chuckled at that comment, too.

The lady was friendly smiling and chatting with Brielle for those few minutes we were in her checkout lane. More than that, she clearly went out of her way to interact positively with my disabled child in a way most people don't even bother.

Now that's a special deal at the grocery store!