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I recently brought my newborn daughter, Veronica, to Costco. It was our first experience of shopping there.

After I signed up as an official member, we began to shop. I started to feel a sense of overwhelm as I looked at the large rows and high ceilings. I think she did, too.

As we were perusing the store, she began to wail uncontrollably. Like many new moms, when your baby is hungry, you need to feed. And fast.

In a desperate plea, I asked an associate who was folding clothes if there was a place for me to sit down and breastfeed. She explained to me that I could feed her in the staff break room. She realized the urgency of the situation and offered to push my cart since I was holding my daughter in my arms. She grabbed my cart and swiftly began walking to the break room. I closely followed.

When we arrived there, she hurried to get the manager to unlock the break room. A few minutes later, I was able to feed my daughter in a private and comfortable room.

I was grateful that I was treated with respect and that I was provided with a safe place to feed my daughter, without shame or judgment.

As we were completing the end of our shopping trip, Veronica had another screaming fit. But this time, it was louder than the last one. Everyone turned to look, I felt embarrassed at her tantrum but even more embarrassed that I wasn’t able to calm her down.

The associate at the register could not do enough to ease my burden. She refused to let me put the groceries on the belt. Instead, she ordered me to “take care of the baby.”

I looked for my credit card in a frenzy. Sensing my frustration, she encouraged me by telling me that I was a great mom.

In this day and age, I was shocked to see such kindness from strangers. Especially since our society lacks personal communication. Their empathy and service helped provide my daughter and me with the means necessary to ease a very stressful situation.

I was glad my daughter was able to encounter such thoughtful people during the first weeks of her life to help welcome her into our world.

I was grateful to God for sending me angels that day to help me. Kindness goes a long way. So, next time you encounter a stranger that needs help or a new mother that needs encouragement, be kind and try not to judge. Choose to be an angel, you never know who might be depending on you.