No, that is not a spelling error or a typo.
I went into the post office this morning to send a registered international letter. Tucking a $20 bill into my waist pack, I set out on foot to take advantage of the lovely morning. Confident that this amount would easily cover the postage as it had many times in the past, I was surprised when the clerk announced my total: $20.37.
When I queried the amount, I was told that there was a $16 charge for the registration, and the rest was postage to cover the large envelope. Since the clerk had already printed out a formal label with a specific time received, I panicked. The registration was in process and I was short a whole 37 cents! How could I have been so foolish?
Telling the clerk I would have to come back later and start over, a woman behind me in the line offered me the small change. As I started to reply, the clerk at the adjacent window noticed something in front of her.
“The man that was just here left his change behind. You’re not going to believe this, but it’s exactly 37 cents!”
“No way!” I’m a firm believer in Spirit gifts, but when these exact and precise things happen, I can’t help but be awed.
“Look!” She picked the 4 coins left on the counter: a quarter, a dime, and two pennies.
“I have the chills!” announced the woman who’d offered the change.
“Me too!” I turned back to my transaction and smiled at the clerk. “Okay, lesson learned.”
“Yup, and now pay it forward!”
I certainly will be looking for that opportunity!
