Daily Bread

In my world grocery day is a big deal.
It requires much planning and a spirit of adventure and stamina. The week's menu plan is decided, the list is made, the flyers are checked, the snacks (xlots) are prepared and packed, the bags are accounted for, and the children are added to the party. That's before I leave the house.

Last time I went things were going well. No melt-downs, runaways, or other misadventures - and to top it all off I was done in almost record time. I got in line, still mostly in a good mood. (Although - did that man just butt in front of me? Maybe, but to be fair I wouldn't want to be behind me either.)
I unloaded my week's worth of groceries, did all my price-matching, and was just about to pay.

"I forgot my wallet." I blurted.
"You forgot your wallet?!" repeated the cashier, incredulously.
"I forgot my wallet." I answered sheepishly. "Now what do I do?"
"Would you still like all this food?" she asked, a little stunned herself.
"Yes, absolutely! I just don't know what I should do right now."
"Well...." Once she got her bearings back she was very kind about it all. "If you'd like, I can put the transaction on hold. If you bag all the groceries and put them in the cart I can put the cart in the back fridge for you."
"Wow! Thank you! That would be great!" I answered. It might be okay after all. I bit of a setback, but not much worse than a bump in the road. "Thank you!" I repeated.

So, a little deflated and embarrassed after my seeming "perfect grocery run" I settled into the bagging task. I was a little more than half finished when the lady behind me handed me the grocery receipt - paid for.
"Have a good day," she said. And that was that.

Except, that it wasn't "that was that." It is hard to respond to a gift so gracious and generous, to receive and to give with arms and hands wide open.
It left me thinking the rest of the day - how *do* I respond to this?
In the short term it left me with the hope of being able to do the same to someone else. It certainly affected the way I treated my children all day: if a stranger valued me so much, can I not also treasure my own?
What about long term: how do we live with generosity and graciousness always before us?