When a kind man met the nurse’s aide who cared for his mother during her final days, they realized they had met several years earlier; when her car ran out of gas and he had stopped to give her a ride to the gas station and $40.

Chris Wright was driving to church with his family in Georgia when he passed a car that was sitting idle on the side of the road. It was raining outside, and a moment later they passed a woman who was walking and carrying a gas can. The gas station was another half mile away, so Chris dropped off his family then turned around and made his way back to the woman in the rain.

“I said, ‘Hey, are you okay? Do you need help?'” Chris said. “She said, ‘I ran out of gas,’ and I felt I had to give her a ride.”

Chris learned that the woman’s car had run out of gas, so he offered and then drove the woman to the nearest gas station. The two talked on their way there, and he learned how she had been having some hard times and financial struggles. Chris’ heart felt moved to help her.

“I was being tugged on the inside again and felt the Lord said, ‘Whatever you have in your pocket just give it to her. She needs that,'” Chris said. “I gave her the $40 and she cried, and I didn’t know if I’d ever see her again. But I felt like it was what I was led to do at that point.”

The woman was able to fill her gas tank, and after tears and many thank you’s, the two went their separate ways.

Three years later, Chris was spending time in the hospital visiting his mother, Judy, who was suffering from complications related to Parkinson’s disease. When Judy was finally able to leave the hospital and return home, Chris and his family decided that it would be best to get nursing aides to help her at home.

During Judy’s first day home, Chris’ father called him and let him know how much his mom liked the nursing aide who had come to help her. The kind woman had stopped by the house to look after Judy, even though she wasn’t scheduled to do so, and they all deeply appreciated her thoughtfulness.

“My dad called me after she leaves and said, ‘Hey, I got a lady that we need to use because for whatever it is, there’s something different about her that I feel better when she’s in the house, and your mom loves her as well,'” Chris said. “And I said, ‘Oh, great.’ I texted her and set up a time for her and I to meet to talk about the times she can care for her and what we wanted to have done.”

During their meeting, Chris and the nursing aide, TunDe Hector, did not recognize each other, as she had changed her hair and he was wearing a hat.

“One day after exercising and my hat on backwards, I stopped in to visit mom and met the nurse’s aide who had been so good to her. TunDe told me about herself, she had been a nurse’s aide off and on for 20 years, but had always dreamed of studying to be a nurse. During our pleasant conversation she asked if I belonged to a church. I told her we went to Cornerstone. Her face lit up and said, “OH, I met a young man from that church. She told me how she had run out of gas and was walking by the highway. The man had dropped his family at church and circled back to help her out. He not only filled my gas can but gave me $40.”‘

Chris’ eyes grew wide, and he then remembered the woman with a gas can he had stopped to help in the rain.

“My jaw dropped, I couldn’t believe it. I saw myself three years earlier, being tugged to help a stranger,” Chris remembered. “I just looked at her and I said, ‘TunDe, that was me.’ And we both just start crying, and she said, take your hat off. And so I took my hat off and she said, ‘It was you.’ And we both, we just cried and had a moment right there,” Chris said.

The two felt they were divinely inspired to help each other, and TunDe lovingly helped care for Chris’ mom during her final days.

“She was the best mom that I could have ever dreamed of,” Chris said. “She loved unconditionally. Just a loving, gentle, yet powerful woman. That’s probably a good way to explain her.”

Rather than asking for flowers at his mother’s funeral, and knowing that TunDe’s dream was to attend nursing school, the Wright family asked friends and family of Judy to donate to help her beloved nursing aide finally attend nursing school. They put the fundraiser online, and in less than a week and without TunDe knowing, they had raised more than $8,000 for TunDe’s education.

“Lord, have mercy!…” TunDe said when presented with the $8,000 check. “Y’all don’t know how worried, I was so worried [about] how I’m going to pay for my school… I’m overwhelmed!” she said.

The fundraiser continued to grow, and more than $37,000 was donated towards TunDe’s education to, after 20 years, finally become an official nurse. For Chris, the beauty of their experience together helped turn the painful loss of his mother into something deeply meaningful.

“We know that God orchestrated this whole thing and wove it together. … We just kept saying, ‘There’s got to be something good that will come for this.’ We just kept praying. … It’s just amazing what’s been done,” Chris said. “It’s a neat thing. It’s helped my wife and I, it’s almost like the Lord has used all this to somewhat take some of the sting out of the grief of losing my mom.”

You are Loved.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Understanding Compassion (@understanding_compassion)

More Compassion:

Kind Man Uses $900 From Savings To Buy Gas For Our Hero Nurses

Kind Retired Nurse Uses Her Own Pension To Help Feed Thousands Of Her Struggling Neighbors Each Month

Kind Nurse Adopted Patient’s Dog After Learning He Had To Give It Up Due To Long Hospital Stay

When a homeless man asked a bus driver for some food, the kind driver gladly gave him a sack lunch and water he had with him.

When Egberto Willies was on his way to a convention in New Orleans, he took a shuttle from the airport to the convention hotel. He boarded the shuttle, and as they were driving into town and stopped at a cross street, a homeless man walked up to the driver’s window.

“I boarded the shuttle [and] we drove several miles into town,” Egberto shared with the Daily Kos. “Then as we stopped at a cross street, a not very clean looking hungry man approached the shuttle driver’s window.”

He saw the kind driver, Dexter Quinn Sr., grab his sack lunch and water and hand it out the window to the homeless man.

“Dexter, the shuttle driver, reached over, picked up a sandwich and a bottle of water and handed it to the man. The man was very thankful, and Dexter continued dropping people off at their hotels.”

Once they arrived to the hotel, Egberto asked him what made him give his lunch to the homeless man. He learned that each day, Dexter packs eight extra lunches to give to the homeless he drives past.

“When we got to my hotel, I asked Dexter what made him just give the man his sandwich and water. You see, I assumed it was his lunch. Dexter said that every day he packs 8 sandwiches and 8 bottles of water to give to the indigent. In other words, it is a deliberate, an intentional act of kindness on this man’s part.”

After talking with each other, he learned that Dexter has been making extra lunches for the homeless for more than 20 years.

“This is something that I’ve been doing for the last 20 years,” Dexter said. “I think we’ve got a lot of unfortunate people in this world. My grandmother always taught us that if you woke up you was blessed, so at some point in your day you’ve got to try and be a blessing, and that’s something that’s been put on my heart to do.”

Let’s all take Dexter’s grandmother’s wonderful teaching of compassion to heart, and try to be a blessing to the less fortunate each and every day.

You are Loved.

Related Compassion:

Kind Bus Driver Let A Cold Homeless Man Stay On Her Bus For 6 Hours, Bought Him Dinner And Found Him Shelter

Kind Bus Driver Buys Hat And Gloves For Crying Cold Student And Delivers Them To Him In Class

Kind Driver Stopped Bus To Go Outside And Help Tie The Shoe Of An Elderly Lady Who Almost Tripped

When a former royal marine saw a post online about a 4-year-old girl who’s parents needed to raise £200,000 for her cancer treatment, he auctioned off his war medals to fund the treatment that would help save her life.

Matthew Goodman first learned of 4-year-old Lottie Woods-John after seeing a post of her on Instagram. The post explained how sweet little Lottie had just been diagnosed with cancer, and how her parents were unable to afford the lifesaving treatment which would cost an unexpected £200,000 (roughly $237,000).

Having a 16-month-old daughter himself, Matthew felt deep compassion for Lottie and for her parents, even though he had never met them.

“I began following Team Lottie’s journey on Instagram,” Matthew said. “I have a 16-month-old daughter and I just couldn’t imagine it; being thrown into a situation you have no control over and being expected to fight for your child and raise £200,000 on top of that.”

Matthew began to think about what he could do to help the little girl in the photo he saw.

“I thought, what do I have of value?”

Matthew, a former royal marine, had been awarded three medals during his service in Afghanistan, Iraq and Northern Ireland. He thought that they would likely receive a large amount if he auctioned them, so he messaged Lottie’s parents letting them know that he would sell his medals and give the proceeds to them for her cancer treatment.

“My medals were just sitting in the drawer doing nothing, and I thought they could be used for something worthwhile,” Matthew said. “They were awarded for the sacrifices I made, but I’m happy to forgo that honor if it means helping a little girl in desperate need. Those medals have a greater purpose, they can do good things in the world. Someone is going to like the medals and Lottie will hopefully get the chance to go the US for treatment.”

Lottie’s parents were both surprised and deeply grateful after learning what Matthew was going to do for their daughter.

“When I heard what Matthew was doing I was totally speechless,” Lottie’s mother, Charlotte, shared. “I just didn’t know what to say. It was huge for me because it’s such an amazingly kind thing to do that I just didn’t think it would be possible.”

Matthew auctioned his medals on Ebay for £32,000, and his generosity attracted the attention of the media, which helped spread awareness for Lottie’s cause. Together with the help of other generous donors online, they were able to raise enough for Lottie’s treatment. Matthew was also able to meet Lottie in person. When Matthew was first introduced to Lottie, he smiled, and tears began to fill his eyes.

“It’s quite overwhelming. I just need a moment,” he said. “[Meeting Lottie] just brings home how worth it it is.”

Lottie was able to undergo treatment, which included chemotherapy and a 13 hour operation which removed 95% of the cancer.

Today Lottie’s hair has grown back, and her smile is just as beautiful as ever.

“I can’t thank him enough,” Charlotte said.

You are Loved.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Understanding Compassion (@understanding_compassion)

Related Compassion:

Child Asked Kind Waiter If He Would Visit Him After His Surgery; He Showed Up With A Card And Gifts

A Teacher Ran Out Of Days Off To Stay With His Cancer-Stricken Daughter, So His Kind Colleagues Donated 100 Days

Let’s Cheer For This Brave Toddler Who Is Celebrating After Beating Stage 4 Cancer

When a child asked a kind waiter if he could come say hi to him after his surgery, the kind man promised he would be there and later showed up with a nice card and gifts.

Drew Lewis was working his shift at an Olive Garden in Cleveland, Ohio, when he waited on a family and their children. Drew noticed that the children were a bit wound up and that the parents seemed to be having a long day, so he did what he could to talk to and entertain the children.

“This past Friday evening I was I was at work at Olive Garden, which was weird because I haven’t worked a Friday night in a couple months. But this Friday was one of the best nights I’ve had at work in a long time,” Drew shared in a post online. “During my shift I had a family come in and sit at my table with 4 very wound up kids and their parents. I could tell the parents were having a long day, so I focused my service on the kids at the table to keep them entertained.”

Drew chatted with the family’s 8-year-old son for a while and asked him what his t-shirt that said “TommyStrong” meant.

“One child I connected with was a kid who reminded me of myself when I was 8 years old. He was wearing a #TommyStrong shirt that was purple and had orange lettering. I was curious on who Tommy was and he said that the T-shirt was for him.”

The young boy explained that he was Tommy and that he was having brain surgery the following Monday.

“So later in the dinner I asked him what the shirt was for and he told me that he was getting brain surgery on Monday. After that conversation I kept talking to the young gentleman about his surgery and what he likes and what he wants to do when he gets older. And to my surprise he said he wanted to be a police officer and a professional chef.”

Outside of working at Olive Garden, Drew is a student at the University of Akron’s Police Academy, so he was surprised to learn that Tommy also wanted to be a police officer. The two had an enjoyable conversation, and then before the family left, 8-year-old Tommy sweetly asked Drew if he could come say hi to him after his surgery.

“At the end of dinner Tommy asked me if I was busy Monday and if I could come to his surgery and be there when he gets out. I promised Tommy Gallagher that I would be there.”

Drew showed up to Tommy’s hospital with a t-shirt from the Akron Police Academy and a card signed by his entire class and commanding officer, which wished Tommy and his family well.

“He woke up after a successful 7 and a half hour surgery. He will make a full recovery and had no complications. This kid showed me how to be strong and handle the diversity life throws at you. Get well soon Tommy Gallagher. #TommyStrong”

You are Loved.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Understanding Compassion (@understanding_compassion)

Related Compassion:

Kind Waitress Spent Several Minutes Gently Cutting Steak For Elderly Woman At Restaurant

Kind 7-Year-Old Checked On His Elderly Neighbor Every Day As She Went Through Chemo

Kind Cashier Left Register And Bought A Rose For A Grandma After Finding Out It Was Her 90th Birthday

Two kindhearted men spent their day waiting in grocery lines and paying for the groceries of strangers in front of them.

Mike Lewis called a friend he’s known since high school, Rob Westerman, and asked him if he’d like to join him in paying for strangers groceries at a local grocery store in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“My buddy called and asked if I’d like to go help him pay for people’s groceries,” Rob shared in a post online.

Rob is a pastor and Mike is a minister, and the two budgeted several hundred dollars to help strangers and headed to a local grocery store. They wanted to help those they encountered, and they also wanted to inspire others to be kind, so Mike took a video of some of the people Rob handed grocery money to.

“We thought some sort of effort like [this] might touch people’s hearts,” Mike said.

Rob waited in line behind customers in the grocery store, and once the cashier told them their total, he walked up and handed them enough cash to cover their total, and then walked away before they could thank him.

“Our goal was to go out and show average people that God loves us,” Rob said. “Let’s truly love our neighbor, whatever that looks like for you. We did this with no strings attached.”

The customers were deeply moved, reflecting on Rob’s kindness with smiles, tears, and some even paid for the next customer in line behind them.

Rob shared how he had been struggling emotionally the week that they went to the grocery store, and that while helping others he learned that a lot of people, not just him, have also been struggling.

“When Mike did the video, I was a mess myself,” Rob said. “It made me realize that as people, we all have junk in our lives and we don’t know what other people are going through.”

But he learned that even while struggling, we can still be kind to others.

“This is something you can do, I can do, anyone can go and do this,” Mike said.

“Our goal is that people see this video and go out and be nice to people,” Rob said. “Let someone over in traffic, or smile at someone. Just do good.”

Watch This Heartwarming Video Of Strangers Getting Their Groceries Paid For:

Millions of gentle hearts online have appreciated and been inspired by Rob and Mike’s kindness for strangers.

“I remembered when I was a kid I dreamed of feeding the world. This man in living my dream,” commented Lillian L.

“That lady who started crying just broke my heart. There are SO many people struggling,” wrote Avery C.

“I love how he pays and goes. He doesn’t stop and make a big deal out of it and embarrass them. Just WOW,” commented Cass.

“I’ll do it for the next person” she says… the way she instantly said it with no hesitation warms my heart beyond belief and makes me want to hug every kind person I see,” wrote Steven W.

You are Loved.

Related Compassion:

Kind Man Buys Woman’s Groceries After Hearing Her Tell Daughter They Couldn’t Afford To Eat That Night

Kind Stranger Paid $178 For Mother’s Groceries After She Realized Mid Checkout That She Forgot Her Wallet

Kind Cashier Paid Half Of Struggling Family’s Large Grocery Bill During Checkout