Kindness may seem like a small gesture, but it makes a huge impact without making much sound. Sometimes it shows up at times we least expect it, from people we barely know, in situations where we needed help the most but hesitated to ask. Even from people who owe us absolutely nothing. These are 10 true stories of love, empathy, and compassion that arrived at exactly the right time and brought hope to everyone around them.
1.
I was 17 and a woman took a left turn into my car. I had only had the car for a few months, I was incredibly shaken up, a third of my car was destroyed, but luckily no one was injured.
A witness sat with me. He wanted to make sure the police knew I wasn’t at fault. He acted as liaison to the police for me, I was so shaken. It didn’t end there.
He sat with me for over an hour while I waited for my dad to pick me up. We talked, he really calmed me down. He told me his wife was expecting a baby soon.
That was 11 years ago, and I just like to think that there’s this amazing 10 or 11-year-old out there with the best dad. I never got his name, but I’ll never forget his kindness.
2.
This was a long time ago and I was a single mother of 3 children under 5. I worked full time, made pretty good money but received no child support and it was tough. Really tough.
A friend set me up with one of her husband’s friends and we had a very good first date. He made me laugh and relax a bit. When he took me home, he paid the babysitter. I almost cried. Kindest thing ever.
We dated for about a year and things sort of cooled off as they sometimes do.
3.
My dad is a great boss who tries to transfer people to a position that they may be more suitable to rather than fire them, but unfortunately lay-offs happen.
Recently, he had to fire the two newest hires. Both were great workers, but the bigger boss decided that they really didn’t need the positions, I guess. Anyway, both had been out of work for a good 8 months or more, one was pregnant.
My dad brought them into the office, told them the bad news, and followed up with the fact that he had 3 interviews a piece lined up for them over the next week, and presented each of them with a glowing letter of recommendation.
I can’t say that my father and I have gotten along very well over the years, or that we are crazy close, but he is a really, really good person.
4.
It was a cold February night in a highway in Idaho. My tire popped and he stopped by the side of the road and offered to drive me 3 hours to Salt Lake City so I could catch my flight to get married the next day.
He didn’t ask for absolutely anything and I’m forever grateful that such men exist. He also put a spare tire in the freezing night so my friends could drive the car back to my town.
5.
I was working as a producer on a talk radio show. The show I was working on wasn’t terribly popular so we really wouldn’t get many callers.
So on my birthday day I’m working like any other day when some guy calls in and gets his entire family to sing me happy birthday. He had never even called before and hasn’t since. I’ve never met him.
My day was instantly awesome. The caller knew it was my birthday because one of the hosts of the talk show said “happy birthday” to me at the opening of the show.
6.
My neighbor once mentioned that she was taking the bus to her medical treatments because she didn’t want to keep asking people for rides. My heart broke for her. I told her I’d drive her and keep her company.
We weren’t particularly close before that. But then somewhere along the rides we actually became close friends. We talked about anything and everything. Making friends as an adult is so hard but somehow we found each other during hard times of our lives.
She finished her treatments in August. We go out for brunch every weekend and hit a concert once a month!
7.
A few years back, I ran out of gas on my way home from work. I managed to get my car to median so I wasn’t totally blocking traffic. I was stuck at this point with no one I could call and no money. I had 3 people stop and help me.
The first guy asked what was wrong, if I was okay, if I had any money on me for gas etc. I told him my car was out of gas and had no way of getting to a gas station and showed him my check that I had yet to cash so I had no money.
He left and car two shows up. Car two I chatted for a bit but she said she couldn’t really help me out which is all good.
So the 3rd person to stop is an undercover officer. Really nice guy helped me push my car towards the grass and brainstormed ideas for the situation because he didn’t want to leave me there.
Well as me and the cop are talking car number 1 pulls up, gets out and hands me a full 10 gallon gas can. I profusely thanked the guy and even offered to get his number so I could pay him back. He refused and just said it was really no problem.
I didn’t ask this guy to spend his money on gas for me but he did anyway and I’m thankful he did. Too bad I’ll never get a chance to pay him back.
8.
My father went through a health scare, and I kept coming to work because I honestly didn’t know where else to be. I was there physically, but that was about it.
A colleague who sat near me noticed. She started covering for me behind my back. One day she sent me a text: “You’re going to be okay and so is he.” She was right about both.
9.
My husband has cut off 90% of his family because they’ve mistreated us so badly in the past 2 years.
It doesn’t necessarily sound “kind”, but what I love about him is how hard he has tried to resolve things and how he has always had resolution as a goal until it became obvious that that was unattainable. He showed them incredible patience and grace until there were no other options but to go no contact.
What I also find “kind” is that he hasn’t just done this to support me because I’m his wife — he’s done it because it’s the right thing to do in these circumstances. He tried to encourage what was best for their souls i.e. getting help and support instead of just burning them the second things went wrong.
I know that if I had been the one in the wrong he would have done the same for me, and encouraged me to be the one to get right with myself, apologize etc. That shows me that he cares deeply about people and healthy relationships, not just being right.
10.
I found out my stepmother was spending her final days in a cheap, dirty nursing home. Her real son put her there. Her and I always had a rocky relationship. She never loved me but knowing that she was all alone in a filthy place broke my heart for her.
My husband told me it was a bad idea and that I’d “regret it” but I brought her home anyway. She barely spoke during the 56 days she was with us. I sometimes caught her smiling at my daughter and me but that was it.
After she passed, her son received the inheritance. Their house, the accounts, everything. I received an old crocheted pouch with my initials on it.
Inside was a folded piece of paper with my name written on it and a key, it said: “Annie, you were always my daughter. I love you and I wish I had put my ego aside to show it better before it was too late. I realized we drifted apart too much to come back together again. I never had the strength to reach out to you but god knows I was so happy when you came to see me again.
If you find it in your heart to forgive me, I hope we can be mom and daughter again in the next life. I’ll spend it all making up to you. Love, mom. Check the tulip painting in our old house.”
My husband came and asked me what happened and I just couldn’t stop crying. We drove to my dad’s old house after her service. Checked the painting, there was a hidden safe behind it. There was $36,560 cash and baby photos of me, old photos of us as a family.