ARE YOU LOST?

I was running errands today, one of which was grocery shopping at Target.  I was nearly done and waiting for my items at the meat counter when a little boy slam-dunked something into a trash can in the produce section.  It made me smile as I saw a Target employee throw her hands in the air and cheer, "Two points!"  I was nearing the end of my shopping when I realized I was missing an item on my list.  Of course this item was towards the back of the store and I was in the front of the store so I made my way back to find it.

That's when I saw little "slam-dunk" boy looking around and saying, "Mom?  Mooooommmmm?"

Me:  "Did you lose your mom?"
Slam-Dunk nodded his head.
Me:  "Would you like me to help you find her?"
Slam-Dunk nodded his head again.
Me:  "What is your mom wearing?"
Slam-Dunk:  "Well...she, she, um...she has dark hair and she has brown eyes."

At this point Slam-Dunk had pretty much won me over with his cuteness but then only scored more points by knowing the color of his mom's eyes.

Me:  "What is your mom's name?"
Slam-Dunk told me her name.

Me:  "Okay...well let's see if we can find her.  By the way...are you the one that just made an awesome slam dunk over in the produce section?"

Slam-Dunk nodded that yes, it was him.

Me:  "It was a good shot."
Slam-Dunk:  "Thanks."

Me:  "Let's go back to produce since that's where I saw you just a couple of minutes ago and we'll see if we can find your mom there."
Slam-Dunk:  "K."

We arrived in the produce area and his mom wasn't there.  I saw the Target employee who cheered Slam-Dunk's shot into the trash can and said, "We have a missing mom.  Can you help us?"

She took us to Customer Service and had them page the little boy's mom which took a few minutes since they were busy with customers.

Me:  "I'll stay here with you until your mom comes back if you want me to.  We can sit here on the floor and wait together."
Slam-Dunk:  "K."
Me:  "So how old are you?"
Slam-Dunk:  "Five."
Me:  "FIVE?  Are you in kindergarten?"
Slam-Dunk (now relaxing a little more and starting to get more into the conversation):  "NO!  I'm still in preschool."
Me:  "Preschool is good.  What kinds of things do you learn in preschool?"
Slam-Dunk:  "Well...I learn about God and Jesus."

Okay...seriously...this kid is stealing.my.heart.

Me:  "That's awesome!  So will you be in kindergarten next year?"
Slam-Dunk:  "Yep."

He looked up, saw his mom coming toward him and jumped to his feet to run to her.  She looked relieved...but I could tell he was going to be in a little bit of trouble for wandering off.  I felt bad for him but was happy to see him back with his mom.

As they walked away I said, "Hey...good luck next year in kindergarten."

Slam-Dunk:  "K.  Thanks!"

His mom smiled.

I hope they enjoyed the rest of their day together.

When I got home I unloaded groceries and as I was putting everything away I was counting the minutes until my own kids would be home.  Home is much better when everyone is in it.

Wishing you a peaceFULLYsimple day.

peace.
jeanine