“You'll never believe what happened at Walmart!”

My day began like most days, with an early morning walk inside the Walmart Shopping Center, aiming to achieve my daily goal of 10,000 steps.

As soon as the doors opened, I was there, leaving my husband and five children sleeping in our RV parked among other RV's in Walmart’s vast parking lot.

While there were a few other walkers, I was typically the fastest. As I briskly passed slower walkers, I glanced at my Apple fitness watch. I noticed I had already completed 115 steps. I waved to Helen, a clerk stocking shelves with cans of beans, and swiftly moved past the produce section filled with apples, oranges and grapes. As I turned the corner by the ripe tomato display, I caught a glimpse of what seemed like a pair of shiny eyes peeking out from behind the crates under the table. At first, I brushed it off as a trick of the light, dismissing it as a figment of my imagination. I continued on, conscious of my limited time to reach my step goal.  

Throughout my subsequent laps around the store, I couldn't shake off the nagging feeling, my gaze repeatedly drawn back to the tomato stand where those mysterious eyes appeared. However, they were no longer to be found. With my steps completed and a sense of accomplishment settling in, I left the store and headed back to our RV.

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I hurried through the store the next day, eager to hit my step target. As I neared the tomato display, I was startled to see the eyes again. Feeling perplexed, I investigated further and discovered a young child, no more than four or five, hidden beneath the display. My heart filled with concern; I tenderly encouraged the child to come out.

“Oh, my goodness, what are you doing here?” I asked, in the softest tone I could. No answer.  “Come on out, honey” Still no answer.

I extended my hand and whispered, “Are you hungry? Would you like to get something to eat?”And with that, a tiny hand touched mine. He scooted on his rear to me, and I lifted him out.

Turning to a nearby shopper, I urgently requested them to call the police.

“What is your name?” I asked. Still no answer as he clung to me.

Within moments, the police and a young woman from Social Services arrived. She reached out to take him, but he clung even tighter to me until she assured him, “I'm going to take you to your mommy and daddy.” As she was leaving, she turned to me, and she said, “Thank God if it had not been for you, who knows how long it might have been before he was found. You are truly a blessing. This is the little boy that disappeared from the parking lot two days ago.”

Later that day, I went back to the store to do grocery shopping.  As I entered, I noticed a flyer with a photo of a little boy and the words “Missing”on the glass door. Why hadn’t I noticed it before? If I had seen it instead of being so involved in my 10,000 steps, I would have helped in the search!