One woman was having a garage sale to get rid of their old, unnecessary junk. However, she didn’t expect to turn the event into a selfless act of kindness towards a struggling mother and daughter.
Her story was featured on Love What Matters Facebook page, wherein she explains:
“I overheard the little girl very politely ask her mom if there was anything she could do to earn the money to buy the TV. She did not just ask if she could have it. She asked if she could earn the money herself.” Obviously, this mother was raising her little girl as most parents should, knowing how to manage money and earn the things you desire.
“She was 6 years old,” the woman continued. “Her mom told her she could not afford it right now, then kissed her forehead. The little girl replied, ‘It’s okay mommy’ and grabbed her mom’s hand.”
There aren’t many children who would so calmly walk away from something they wanted. However, the woman holding the garage sale would quickly get the vibe that this particular mother and daughter were going through something rather difficult in their life.
“I could tell this mom and daughter had gone through something and the interactions between them were so genuine, so precious,” she explained. “I saw the little girl look over at the TV every so often…My heart was mush.”
Eventually, the mother and daughter approached the woman to pay for the few items they had chosen to purchase from the sale. However, the woman knew she needed to act fast and do something to help this mother and daughter, who she knew needed a blessing.
“As the mom brought her items up to pay, I said, ‘I would like you to have these things, no charge,’” she explained. Of course, the mother’s eyes welled up with tears and thanked the woman for her generosity, but she asked why this stranger would be so kind.
“I sense that you are going through something right now, and I don’t need to know what that ‘something’ is,” the woman explained. “But you obviously have not let it deter you from being an amazing mom, and you are raising a wonderful, beautiful, joyful, polite, little girl.”
What happened next prompted people across social media to praise the woman.
At that point, the mother broke down and explained their devastating situation to the woman. They had been in an abusive situation and had left with only a duffle bag of items for them both after she saved up enough money for a small one-room apartment. The mother explained that it was a big step for them and that she finally felt “blessed” and that “they were safe,” finally.
Of course, now the woman knew it was up to her to help this mother and child out during their difficult transition. She gave them a couple of garbage bags and instructed them to fill them up with anything they could use within the garage sale, including pillows, blankets, and a blow-up camping bed. In addition, she even gave them a box of food to fill up their empty cupboards.
As if what this woman was offering this mother and child wasn’t enough, what the woman did next is truly remarkable.
“I told her, ‘We all go through hard times. This is a season, and seasons pass,” she explained. “When this season passes for you, you can ‘pay it forward’ to someone else.’ And then, yes… I quietly asked her if I could give her little girl the Disney Princess TV.”
She explains that the look on the little girl’s face when the TV was placed in her car was unforgettable. She knew that she had done the right thing. Perhaps the most touching part of the entire incident is how the woman describes her experience.
“What they probably don’t realize, is that they blessed me far more than I blessed them,” she said.
According to Opposing Views, many readers applauded the woman for her selfless act of kindness towards the mother in need.
“She made a real difference in the world by helping this lady and child. I so admire people like this lady who was so kind. Being kind is a very easy thing to do just observe and we all can do something to help others,” one reader commented on the site’s Facebook page.
“A beautiful story. I don’t know who this woman was but if I could I’d find her and give her a huge hug. I am not the hugging kind of person but this would be an exception,” another added.
Sources: OpposingViews, Love What Matters/Facebook
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