Waypoints: 30 Days of Gratitude

This month, Moteventure turns its compass toward the quiet power of thankfulness. Waypoints: 30 Days of Gratitude is a daily storytelling journey through resilience, grace, and the moments that anchor us. Each post will be a marker — a pause along the path — where gratitude reveals itself in unexpected ways. From small gestures to life-altering kindness, these stories invite reflection, connection, and a deeper appreciation for the light we find (and share) along the way.

Every path has its waypoints. If gratitude lit yours, leave a note beneath this post.

The Coat in Aisle 7

It was 5:15 a.m. on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and the parking lot outside the department store was already full.

Back then, Black Friday wasn’t about online deals or digital countdowns. It was about standing in line with strangers, clutching coffee in foam cups, and watching your breath rise in the cold.

Inside the store, the fluorescent lights buzzed overhead. Shoppers moved quickly — some with lists, some with adrenaline, some just chasing the thrill.

In Aisle 7, near the winter coats, a woman named Denise was scanning the racks. She was looking for something warm for her teenage son, Marcus. He’d grown fast that year, and the coat he wore to school barely zipped.

Denise had circled the sale in the newspaper the night before. She’d even mapped out her route through the store. But when she reached the rack, the coat she wanted — navy blue, insulated, water-resistant — was gone.

She sighed and turned to leave.

That’s when she heard a voice.

“Ma’am? Were you looking for this one?”

A man, maybe in his sixties, stood holding the exact coat. He wore a red flannel shirt and had a kind face.

Denise hesitated. “I was, but it’s okay. You got here first.”

He smiled. “I did. But I think it’s meant for your boy.”

Denise blinked. “Are you sure?”

He nodded. “My grandson’s got plenty. And I remember what it’s like to need something and not be able to swing it.”

She took the coat, stunned. “Thank you,” she said. “Really.”

The man waved it off. “Just pay it forward someday.”

Denise did.

Years later, she told Marcus the story when he was packing for college. He remembered the coat — how warm it was, how it made him feel like he fit in.

And when he got his first paycheck from a campus job, he used part of it to buy a winter coat for a kid in his dorm who couldn’t afford one.

Gratitude doesn’t always come wrapped in ribbon. Sometimes it’s a coat in Aisle 7. Sometimes it’s a stranger who chooses kindness over competition.

And sometimes, the best deals on Black Friday aren’t the ones on the shelves — they’re the ones that remind us what it means to show up for each other.

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If these stories have stirred something in you — a memory, a smile, a quiet moment of gratitude — consider subscribing to the Waypoints series and Moteventure. You’ll receive each new entry directly, and help us grow a community built on kindness, reflection, and the beauty of everyday moments.