My friend was at Costco with her 3 young boys. She was approached by a man in the parking lot after her grocery trip as she was loading up her van. He asked if those were all her boys and she braced for impact. “What had she done wrong? Did her boys behave poorly? Perhaps she wasn’t buying ‘the right’ products for her family”.

The man continued, “My wife and I watched you the entire time we were in the store”…

Here we go, my friend thought…

… “and we just wanted to let you know that we think you’re doing a great job”! He pointed to his car and his wife waved, “We remember how hard it is to go shopping with a young family, and we were so impressed by you. We think you must be an amazing Mom”!

My friend was nearly undone. What a beautiful moment from strangers taking a quick opportunity to encourage someone.

There is so much pressure to be a parent who does everything right.  My friend would be quick to list off the ways she wants to improve as a Mom but I’m so grateful for this couple stopping to say some kind words that had a significant impact on her day.

Even with our focus on Acts of Kindness this year I almost let this story slip by. I told my friend that these strangers were certainly not wrong and that she is raising three wonderful boys. I absorbed the story and let its simplicity be taken a bit for granted.

This is the perfect example of how simple it can be to make someone’s day! It only took a minute and it cost nothing but time, and perhaps a little bit of confidence, to engage with a stranger.

Keeps your eyes out for opportunities that you can encourage a stranger – perhaps this is one easy way you can be an encouragement while out running your errands.

Stay tuned for more Acts of Kindness tales and an update on our Pay it Forward boxes in the weeks to come.