Struggling single mom couldn't afford meal at diner. She burst into tears when the owner gave her a seat anyway
'It reminds me how kind strangers have been throughout my life,' she said.
A struggling mom who couldn’t afford a meal shared how she will never forget the kindness of diner owners who helped her in that dire situation. Posted under u/DKFran7 on Reddit, she explained that the story has stayed with her for more than 45 years and continues to move her to this day. The post, shared nine months ago, has since garnered 12k upvotes. The mom, 23 at the time, explained she was fleeing an abusive husband and traveling cross-country with her 2-year-old son, with almost no money beyond the bus tickets. "Halfway through the trip (NC to OR), we stopped for a couple hours in Grand Junction, Colorado, at a tiny station with a tiny diner at night," she wrote.
Without her glasses — destroyed by her husband — she struggled to read the menu. "I figured out what it said, counted what I had, and told my son I couldn’t afford it. That I’d need to get him some crackers from the vending machine," she added, and that's when the owners stepped in. "I didn’t speak Spanish, and she didn’t speak English, but everyone knows the hand sign for ‘Come with me.’ She sat us at a table. I was confused and tried to explain. Her husband then set burgers and water in front of us," the mom said. When she tried to explain she couldn’t pay, he patted her and her son's shoulder and said, "Is good. You eat."
"His wife also patted my shoulder and gave us a bunch of napkins. We ate what we could, and the owner boxed the rest so we could take it with us," she said. In her words, "Of course I cried. One of the kindest memories I have of the whole terrifying four-day trip." In the comments, she explained that her son, who is now 47, may have forgotten the incident, but she never will. "I doubt he remembers. But, now and then, during the really rough days, I remember this. It reminds me how kind strangers have been throughout my life." Stories like hers prove time and again that acts of kindness, no matter how small or big, impact the receiver more than most people expect.
A 2024 study, the University of California Press looked at phenomenological features of memories of kindness (how vivid, emotional, memorable they are) and how recalling those memories affects well-being. It found that memories of other-focused kindness (i.e., kindness you received or that was given to others) tend to be more vivid, emotionally resonant, and personally significant than everyday memories. Also, recalling those kind memories led to an increased state of well-being when compared to recalling trivial or neutral events.
The story touched readers' hearts, and they filled the comment section with admiration for the couple and her son. u/kukukajoonurse told her, "Your son sounds like a good dad and human! You did well despite all the challenges." u/Face_with_a_View added, "You raised a wonderful son. I, too, was once in your shoes. My son is 22 now, and we are both doing great." Others reflected on the power of kindness in difficult moments. u/Lanky_Tough_2267 chimed in, "The kindness of others during trying times gets us through our life's journey."
u/blueskiesgray wrote, "Such kindness hits so hard in the moments when [one is] in survival [mode] and instead of the next shoe dropping, there’s these beautiful humans insisting you be nourished. What a gift." u/Puzzleheaded_Age6550 shared, "My stars, those dang onions, making me tear up. I want to say how proud I am of you! You're very brave, especially so many years ago, abuse was considered a 'family problem' and women were offered little to no help. Merry Christmas!" u/DKFran7 later thanked readers for sharing their own stories, sending "Season’s Blessings" and a Merry Christmas in her edits.
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