A blessed bargain

“As I walked into the grocery store to pick up last-minute items for our traditional Mother’s

Day family celebration at my house, my heart felt heavy. It was the first Mother’s Day after losing my mom, and we’d always done the grocery shopping together. Each time, I teased her about the giant stack of coupons that she’d bring along. I

miss you, Mom, I thought and blinked back tears. “With a deep breath, I grabbed a cart and started my usual route, but something very strange began to happen: In the cereal aisle, I found a stray coupon sticking out from under a row of boxes. Then another coupon floated to the floor in the baked goods section…and another in the snack aisle. Everywhere I turned, there was a rogue coupon—one even stuck to my shoe. Suddenly, I felt my heart fill with joy and I realized Mom was here, loving me and bargain shopping…as always!” —Kate Juarez, 47, Scranton