Life can be tough, which is why it’s so important to help each other. And a simple gesture is sometimes all it takes to transform someone else’s day. When I read this story that a guy named Timothy shared on Facebook, tears welled up in my eyes. He saw a mother struggling to get a little lunch for her son and decided to help. His story shows in a moving way how compassion is among the most important qualities we can have. Read the story below and see how even the smallest act of kindness can change everything.
“I sit here at McDonalds, drinking a Sprite. Okay, it’s my third Sprite. And the lady in the corner… waits. She’s been here since before I got here. In walks a man with a small boy, maybe three years old if that. ‘You were supposed to be here an hour ago.’ she says, slightly upset.
‘Well, I’m here and here he is.’
The man turns to walk out the door.
The woman says, ‘Hey, do you have a couple dollars so I can get a cheeseburger? All I have is enough for his happy meal.’
He looks around to see if anyone is watching.
‘Screw you. Starve,’ he says and walks out the door.
She just shakes her head and walks to the counter with the boy. She orders a happy meal for the boy. The teen at the counter tells her her card left a balance of 37 cents. She and the boy walk to her car where she digs and finds the change.
She and the boy sit down with the happy meal, and she sets up his food and his tiny drink cup. She asks him if mommy can have a fry, to which he feeds her the one he just took a bite of. (I kinda chuckled to myself.)
I walk to the soda machine and refill my cup—Powerade this time. And the teen from the counter is refiling the napkins. I hand him my debit card and tell him to give her two doubles, a large fry, and a large drink on me. I tell him not to tell her it’s from me.
I wrote a note on a napkin with my Sharpie I use at work. ‘Keep your head up and always push forward. You CAN. You WILL. 🙂“
He brings me my debit card, then walks back to the counter and takes the tray of food to her. He says ‘This was bought for you.’
‘By who?’
‘I’m not supposed to say, but it wasn’t me,’ he says and walks back to the counter.
She reads the note on the napkin as tears start to roll down her cheeks. She fills the drink cup and starts to eat. The child trades her a chicken nugget for a bite of the burger. (I chuckle again.)
After they both finish their meal, they start to leave. They walk past me sitting there and I smile at the boy and look at her and she whispers, ‘Thank you.’
I whisper back, ‘For what?’
She smiles. I wink. I look down at the boy and I say, ‘Have a good day.’
Life is hard. Always be willing to make someone’s life a little easier. Little things make a big impact. For any single parent stuck in a similar place… Keep your head up and always push forward. You CAN. You WILL.”
Please share this story with your friends on Facebook. Who knows, maybe it’ll inspire them to brighten the lives of those around them!
Published by Newsner, please like
