Mom on the verge of tears amid kids' meltdowns, moved by stranger's random act of kindness

It's not easy being a parent. Especially when your children are having a meltdown while you attempt to juggle a million parenting and personal responsibilities at once. For one Arkansas mom caught between her two kids' tantrums at swim practice last month, it all felt almost too much to bear. Devon Linden was on the verge of tears while leaving the swim practice in Rogers with her upset children when a random stranger's unexpected act of kindness turned the day around. "I was really honestly near tears just as a mom, trying to keep it together and get my kids out of there," she told 5NEWS about the events leading up to her unforgettable interaction with the stranger.

The mother of two told the network that although she takes her kids to swim practice every week, trying to balance taking care of two children on that particular day was proving to be much more difficult than usual. It was then, as Linden fought back tears of exasperation, that a nice stranger came out of nowhere and handed her a note. The woman shared some words of encouragement to the overwhelmed mom, telling Linden that she's got this.

"Your life and purpose is huge. Life is so precious. Every day is a gift, so make it count. Enjoy," the note read. Speaking of how she felt upon reading those words, a grateful Linden said: "In a moment where she saw me struggling, she didn't pass judgment on me, my kids, my parenting, anything that was happening. She just chose to bless me." As moved as she was by the stranger's gesture, it was only when she got to her car and unfolded the note that she saw the incredible surprise the Good Samaritan had tucked inside: a $100 bill.

That was when Linden broke down, amazed and overwhelmed by how a stranger could show such kindness to her without expecting anything in return. In fact, she was so moved by the whole encounter that Linden now hopes she can also be a similar kind of person and mom in the future. "I'm trying to think of what this new decade is going to bring for me, what type of person I can strive to be, and I just thought, I want to be like this lady. I want to be impactful in the best way," she said. This is also the lesson she hopes to instill in her little ones as they grow up.

"Something that I want to show my children too is how to give others grace when they're having a hard time and pass that on," Linden said. The mom added that she wants to pass on the kindness she was shown at her lowest moment and spread it around northwest Arkansas. Linden also had some words for the woman who blessed her with the beautiful gesture when she needed it the most. "Really just thank you for seeing me in a hard time and really just giving me exactly what I needed in that moment to feel like I can spend my day being a good mom and person," she said.