Random acts of kindness

My DD, Crystal, called me last night and told me something that brought a tear to my eye.

She and her beau were shopping last evening at Walmart. They had gotten their food items and some essentials for their baby. As they were standing in line, they were discussing how they would pay for it all. They knew they were short on $$$ and were trying to decide what to put back. The woman in front of them said, "Don't put anything back. I'll pay for the diapers." Crystal said, "You don't have to do that. We'll figure it out." The woman replied, "I know I don't but today is 'Pay It Forward Day' and I want to do this for you." Crystal said, "Are you serious?" The woman said, "Yes, I'm serious." Crystal handed over the diapers and as the cashier was ringing up her items, she turned and said, "I'll pay for the baby juice, too." and swooped up the case. Crystal said the total came to around $35.

I checked...it was NOT Pay It Forward Day. This was a random act of kindness.

Anyone else have a story like this?



This message was edited Dec 2, 2010 2:33 PM

Wow Celia, that's awesome!!

I was at Target yesterday buying cat food. Our cat has expensive
tastes and only eats Fancy Feast and Target has the best prices
on that.

An older woman was also shopping for cat food and asked if
I would like some coupons since her cat wouldn't eat Fancy Feast.
I saved over $2 and was delighted. It never occurred to me to carry
coupons around and offer them to a fellow shopper. I'll do so from
now on.

So nice to know there are others out there to which this has happened.

I have a story also. I work at a Walmart and we have a supplier that stocks books and some movies. The lady that works for them is named Rebecca and she has five kids. One afternoon she had to bring her ten year old daughter to work with her. At the end of the day she was buying some groceries for supper and the register said she had insufficient funds. She knew this wasn't true and she began to panic(her words). She run to the bank in the Walmart, this was her bank and began to question them when her daughter came up to her with the buggy full of their bags of groceries. Rebecca immediatly told her to take them back that they weren't paid for and that this could get her fired. Her daughter kept trying to tell her it was ok but Rebecca was sure that this could cause her to lose her job so she took the buggy and brought it back to the cashier who had been checking her out. The cashier told her the lady right behind Rebecca in line had paid for her groceries and wished them a Merry Christmas. Rebecca was in tears and very thankfull but the lady was already gone by the time she got back to the register. Come to find out someone had been using her debit card number online. Thankfully the bank refunded her money. Rebecca didn't know what to think about it so we all told her she could "Pay it Forward" to keep that ladies kindness going.

Beautiful story, Amber. Thanx for sharing it.

How wonderful is that! Everyone went home feeling great. They BOTH benefited from the kindness.

I just found this thread--I needed a lift, and this sure did it. Thanks for posting the wonderful stories!

I know there are more stories out there. Ky, you must have one.

I too stumbled across this and have loved all that I just read. Hi KY, good to see you.

I was telling my hubby recently how sad I was that my older son and his wife decided that due to lack of funds this year they wouldn't be giving Christmas gifts to anyone other than their children. As I thought on it, I realized that by having that sort of attitude they had both deprived themselves of the joy that giving brings us. I can only hope that before too many years pass they will learn that giving to others usually benefits us more than it does the recipient.

As someone pointed out, those in these stories who performed the act of kindness received a great sense of satisfaction from being able to help in the situations presented them. I wasn't always a giver, but somewhere along the line I was able to learn that I loved the feeling that giving always brought me and I try as often as possible to give some of what I am so blessed to have and enjoy.

Thank you so much kwanjin for starting the topic.

Ruby

It seems as though handmade gifts aren't cherished the way they always were. To me, they are the most wonderful of all because of the thought behind them. And something as simple as a paper that says I love you becomes the most important gift....

Ruby, you are most welcome. Have you a story of kindness?