April 9, 2025
Here are a couple of real life uplifting stories which are lessons in kindness.
A Tale of kindness can inspire us all, so here are a couple.
The Old Man in the Diner
It was a bitterly cold winter evening in Chicago when 75-year-old Joe Garcia sat alone at a diner. The retired teacher had lost his wife a few months ago, and the loneliness weighed on him. He wasn’t expecting much that night—just a quiet meal and maybe a brief chat with the friendly waitress.
At a nearby table, 8-year-old Emma and her father, Chris, were having dinner. Emma noticed Joe sitting by himself and kept glancing at him. She whispered to her dad, “Why is he alone?” Chris explained that sometimes, people don’t have family around. Emma frowned, thinking hard, and then smiled.
She climbed down from her chair, grabbed her colouring book, and walked over to Joe’s table. “Hi! I’m Emma. Do you want to colour with me?” she asked cheerfully.
Joe was taken aback. He smiled for the first time that day. “I’d love to,” he said.
For the next hour, Joe and Emma coloured together, laughing and chatting. Chris watched with a warm heart, grateful for his daughter’s kindness. When they finished dinner, Emma hugged Joe and said, “You can be my grandpa if you want.”
Joe’s eyes filled with tears. “I’d love that more than anything.” From that day on, Joe became a part of their family. He joined them for dinners, birthdays, and holidays. What started as a simple act of kindness turned into a beautiful friendship that changed Joe’s life—and Emma’s.
Kindness Repaid
In 2019, Kate, a waitress in a small café in Brighton, UK, saw an elderly man struggling to count his change while trying to pay for a meal.
He looked embarrassed as he realized he didn’t have enough money. Without hesitation, Kate smiled and said, “Don’t worry, this one’s on me.”
The man, deeply touched, thanked her and left.
A week later, the man returned—not as a customer, but with a huge envelope in his hands.
It turned out, he wasn’t just any old man—he was a retired millionaire philanthropist who had been testing people’s kindness in everyday situations.
Because of Kate’s selfless act, he gifted her £10,000 as a thank-you—enough to cover her student loans and help her family.
When asked why he did it, he simply said:
“Kindness should always be rewarded.”
Read our post Random Acts of Kindness and you may adopt some or make your own suggestions.
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