It's an outing I make at least once, if not twice or more, a week.  My visit to the nearest SuperTarget usually brings out the chipper mood in me.  Being greeted by the automatic double doors, reaching for a bright red cart and glancing at the checkout lanes to see the bustling shoppers watch ever-so-closely as their items "buwop" across the scanner and onto the conveyor belt.   This has become such a normal collection of sights and sounds for me that I rarely stop to really relish in the fact that I can actually shop at such an establishment.

I was only stopping in to pick up a few of my SuperTarget faves – Pepperidge Farm Cinnamon Raisin Swirl bread, bananas, strawberries, and diapers.  But, in the back of my mind I also reminded myself not to forget that I was going to pick up a few things for the Joplin, MO disaster relief effort that my son's school is participating in these last couple of days of school.  His school is collecting items for the American Red Cross which will ultimately benefit that devastated little town of Joplin, MO, you've likely heard about by now.  His grade, 1st grade, was assigned to bring baby items — things like diapers, wipes, formula, and baby food.  Naturally, this was a fantastic excuse to warrant a late night shopping trip to my favorite bullseye store.

So there I was, all the items on my list in my cart and then it was time to head over to the baby aisle.  I made my way over and started thinking very matter-of-factly, "what items should I get?  What do they actually NEED?"  And that's when it hit me. 

 
Suddenly there I was, staring at fully stocked, fully accessible store shelves that I normally don't even think twice about when making my way around them.  I was coming to the realization that those poor, devastated souls needed it ALL!  And that's when I lost it.

I wanted to line my cart right up against the edge of the shelves while taking my arm and swiping every last bit of product into it!  As I looked at it all, I found myself finding a use for nearly every single product that was in front of  me. 

The Arrowroot teether biscuits – I pictured a small toddler sitting in his mama's lap, cold and hungry.  And teething.  What mama at that point wouldn't want to soothe her teething son or daugther if she could? 

Then my eyes wandered up to the Pedialyte bottles.  Now, there's a product we're certainly no strangers to in our house!  Perhaps amidst all the devastation and panic, there's a little boy – one my son's age – who gets a nasty stomach bug.  Surely the Pedialyte would come in handy.

Baby wipes.  Does this even really need an explanation?  I can't imagine going for a walk in the park without wipes, let alone suffer a traumatic weather catastrophe where there is debris, trash, and germs everywhere!  The thought of all those tiny infants and little ones needing their faces or bottoms wiped just really took it over the edge for me.  My eyes literally started tearing up.  In the aisles of TARGET!  Thank God it was 9:30 p.m. and the store was nearly deserted or I might've been beyond slightly embarassed.

I found myself thinking of my own kids and how at that very moment they were snuggled all warm and comfy in their own beds, in their own home, and what an absolute luxury it truly IS!  How could my heart not break at the thought of these babies and children being affected by the disaster?!  So after gathering my composure and staying focused to the task at hand, I settled on a few items — 3 containers of wipes, various jarred baby food, a box of baby oatmeal, a bottle of Pedialyte, and some organic baby puffs.  (Let's face it, what baby can truly resist baby puffs?!  You can't go wrong with that choice, people!)

I added the items to my cart and proceeded to check out.  The entire drive home I prayed not only for those victims and families who have lost their loved ones and friends in Joplin, MO, but also in thanksgiving for my abundant blessings.  The blessings of my kids and being able to walk into a store and provide for their basic needs. 

So much tragedy for our neighbors just a small drive south from where we live, yet I feel like I am living through it with them.  Their pain is my pain.  Their suffering is my suffering.  I know there's so much more to be done to help everyone affected, but for now I am very thankful that I have the priviledge of helping out in this small way, and in a way that's so meaningful to me, as a parent.

If you feel called to help the victims of this horrific disaster, I urge you to reach out to the American Red Cross or organize a donation drive in your area to collect supplies and money that will aid in the relief efforts.