By Jean Petersen

In some security camera room filled with a wall of televisions and video footage, I bet someone is shaking their head every time I leave Wal-Mart. I’m not a huge shopper, so when I trek the hour to gather our bulk groceries, I purchase in mass because we have four growing children and try to prepare for a month.

On this particular day, I was also gathering products necessary to prepare and photograph for my recently released cookbook. I had two-overflowing carts. For safety purposes I probably should have had three, but it made me feel better, for predicting the impending receipt, that two carts would be sufficient. As the beeps of the bar codes shared their melody, I noticed a family a couple lanes over and it reminded me of our own. Unfortunately, upon the grand finale of the bar codes beeping, I lost on the three carts after all. I was now the lady who literally looked like a meal-train as I pushed, pulled, heaved and scooted my way in-by-inch out of the store.

From behind I heard the voice of a young girl. She was running toward me. I immediately thought I forgot one last lonesome bag that probably contained a vital piece of goods I would be searching for at length when I got home and couldn’t find it, but that wasn’t it at all. She was a young lady, about the age of our oldest teenage child, with a beaming braces smile, bright eyes and a sincerely sweet voice. She was one of the members of the family I had seen a couple lanes over as I checked-out. She said, “Ma-am, wait please.  Can I help you?”  I initially said, “Ah, I’m alright, thank you.”

Even though I whole-heartedly welcomed the gesture and thought I should take her up on it, it was my own doing that I was wheeling out three carts. She stopped and looked at me with a deep look of true kindness embedded in her youthful eyes, and said, “Please, you look like you could use some help and I’d love to help.” This young lady was genuinely being kind and truly wanted to be of service.  She moved beside me, and respectfully changed into my position and began pushing. She turned and beamed her big braces smile at me as she asked where to go.

Her joy spilled over in those few hundred feet. We joked together about the comedy of the overflowing carts and the ‘why’. She asked about our children and was curious about the cookbook, and I shared a bit of the fun and unique recipes featured in its contents. This random act and true generosity was exceptionally simple, but it was a small genuine gesture that’s burned in my heart. When I think of this moment, I see her beautiful bright eyes and beaming smile. I can hear her youthful laugh, and the smile she gave me as she turned her head and waved good-bye to join her family. I didn’t get her name, but her random act of kindness renewed, restored, and flooded my heart in remembrance of what seems like the simplest act ends up being the biggest blessing in a moment.

Those acts exude the love of our good Lord inside us, and those little moments blend into many moments which become the bigger whole of witnessing the love our Lord throughout our lifetime. It also reminded me the blessing is often in, blessing. I love to say, “I got it.” But in reality, “He’s got it, not me, myself and I.” I have a friend who reminds me, “It’s a blessing to bless you, let me help.” When I say, “I got it,” it steals their joy and blessing from above too. So, there were many lessons in this Wal-Mart parking lot. Most of all I saw first-hand, how the good Lord sent this wonderful random act. It was very brief meeting, but it was confirmation of His continually wonderful works through the simple, smallest, most meaningful moments of true kindness.

Jean Petersen is excited about her recent, July 9th, release of The Big Sky Bounty Cookbook-Local Ingredients and Rustic Recipes with Arcadia Publishing and The History Press as a part of their American Palate series with Chef Barrie Boulds, and her next children’s picture book, Kind Soup, coming in November 2018 with Little Lamb Books.

She is in the final stages of completing her Life on the Ranch with Banjo chapter book to celebrate Banjo’s 10 year’s with Western Ag Reporter, and is freelance writing with multiple magazine. Her first children’s nonfiction picture book, Moose Shoes, was released in 2007.

Jean is Colorado State University-Journalism alumni, and has been a freelance writer and weekly columnist for 12 years with Western Ag Reporter covering a host of topics. Her weekly children’s column is called Life on the Ranch with Banjo. You can also find her feature articles published in Distinctly Montana magazine and Raised in the West Magazine.

Jean lives near the Beartooth Mountains in scenic southern Montana on her small farm with her husband, four children, three mice-chasing Corgi’s, two horses, a bottle calf named Beatrice-who likes to go on adventures,  a crippled lamb-who’s best friend is Beatrice, a handful of ducks and chickens, and four very lazy cats, along with any other critter who comes knocking at the door. They all give her lots of fuel for all her writing.

The Big Sky Bounty Cookbook

From mountain streams in the west to rolling prairies in the east, Montana’s habitats and natural resources offer an abundance of culinary possibilities. The mountains provide the necessities for a delightful elk tenderloin with huckleberry demi-glace, while the prairie contributes to rattlesnake cakes with roasted red pepper remoulade.

And gardens and farms statewide produce the makings of Aunt Lois O’Toole’s rhubarb strawberry pie. Chef Barrie Boulds and author Jean Petersen present locally sourced epicurean dishes that exude Montanan charm. Historical context enhances seventy-five easy yet sophisticated recipes celebrating unique flavors and heritage–with forewords from Chef Eric Trager and Western Ag Reporter editor Linda Grosskopf.