My Most Embarrassing Moment

         A few years ago, I worked as a delivery person for a local florist. One brisk morning I had just left in the van on my first run and I decided to cut through the parking lot of the daycare center behind the florist shop. There were a few cars parked in the employees' section, but it was otherwise vacant. That's when I saw her - a plain looking woman of average height, wearing worn blue jeans with a drab hooded sweatshirt tied tightly around her face. She just stood on the curb, holding a cup in her hand, trying to shield herself from the cold morning wind.

         My heart went out to her as I circled back to my shop and pulled into the parking space designated for me. I went inside and grabbed the phone book to look up the number for our local mission. I figured I could give her the few dollars I had with me, but the thing she might need most was a place to sleep and a roof over her head. I jumped back in the van, gripping my dollar bills rolled up with the name and phone number of the mission and drove as fast as I could over to where she had been standing. My prayers were answered; she was still there! Mustering up all of my courage I rolled down the window, shoved the wad into her hand and sped off. That blessing of giving to others needier than me quickly faded as I watched her in my rearview mirror. She was running after me, waving her hand with the bills high in the air and shaking her head "No!" That's about the time I realized what I had seen in her cup as I pulled away. It was coffee. She'd just been standing outside waiting for daycare children to arrive.