I hugged a stranger, all because of a soft answer.

I went to Sam's Club with my grandchildren Ava and Micah to order his birthday cupcakes from their bakery. We filled out the order form and were waiting at the bakery counter. When the customer ahead of us left, we stepped forward with our order. I heard a voice speak behind me. I turned around and said, "Pardon me. Did you say something?" The older woman answered sharply, "Yes! I said thanks for butting in front of me!" I had a split second to choose between answering with a snippy retort or treating her with kindness. I responded with an apology, explaining I thought I was next from where I had been standing and offered her to go ahead. "No, no! I can wait. I have to order a cake." She snapped back at me. I didn't notice any order form in her hands. "Did you fill out an order form yet?" I asked. Her answer was more civil. "No, I didn't." I showed her the counter that held the forms and handed her one with a pen. She thanked me and said she was sorry for snapping at me. I told her it was okey and we went on our way to do more shopping.
Later on in the store, this same lady stopped me. "I am sorry that I was so rude to you. You were so nice and helpful to me." She related that she was grieving and had many things on her mind. I caught myself reaching out to give her a hug and stopped. "I'm sorry, I was about to give you a hug." I explained. She replied, "I really would like a hug." So I hugged this stranger. Though I didn't know her, I recognized a familiar emotions common to all of us. A hurting person reacting to an ordinary situation in a less than best way.
When my grandchildren and I were back in the car, I asked them what they thought would have happened if I had spoken to the lady the same way she had spoken to me. They both agreed that she probably would have gotten even more angry and that would not have been good. I mentioned there is a verse in the Bible that speaks about giving a soft answer. Ava immediately quoted, "A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Exactly Ava! And we just saw how that verse works!