11 Heartwarming Moments Prove How Kindness Heals Hearts

It’s easy to forget how much a small act of kindness can brighten someone’s day. But time and again, we see how those simple moments reveal the true power of compassion.

• A man in a full business suit with a briefcase handed me an umbrella in a torrential rainstorm and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I still had to walk through Times Square to get to the train, and I’m sure he got soaked going wherever he was going. A couple of weeks later, I gave the umbrella to a lost girl in my neighborhood when it started to rain, and she didn’t have one. Felt like the universe wanted it to happen.
  I’ll never forget that man, though.
  Edit: I went back and forth about including the addendum about passing it on, but I thought it was important to the story. Just felt like I wasn’t supposed to keep it, and it united a chain of NYers helping each other out. I am in no way trying to say “I’m so nice!” I’m kind of a nuisance most days, to be honest, lol. © Unknown author / Reddit

• When I was maybe 4 or 5 years old, I made friends with another kid in an airport, and he was playing with a couple of glued-together Lego cars. That kid and I played for like an hour with those things, and when it was time to go our separate ways and board the plane, the kid insisted I keep one of the cars, and while I insisted he should keep them, he said it was proof that we were friends, and to this day, roughly 20 years later, I still have that car packed up with my childhood mementos box.
  That friend of mine was a good kid. Hope he’s doing well. © givebooks / Reddit
• I befriended a boy when I moved schools midway through 4th grade. I had a huge crush on this boy. We both loved horses. I had one, and he was being raised on a ranch. One day, I showed up to school and there was a picture of him and his horse on my desk.
  My teacher told me that he had come by and left it because he had to move suddenly. I never found out why or what happened to him.
  I am 37 now and think of him and wonder how he is doing. I still have that picture of him and his horse. © Mountain****OnLife / Reddit

• I was in maybe 4th grade, and my parents just had my younger sister, so newborn-focused. I went to my school lunch, opened my paper bag (are those still a thing?), and unwrapped the foil holding my sandwich. There was nothing inside. It was actually just 2 slices of dry white sliced bread, and I was sad.
  Literally, my tablemates all chipped in various components and made me the most amazing ham and cheese sandwich I’ve ever had. I’ve been chasing that dragon of ham sandwich since, but I’m sure it was the response and not the ingredients that I loved. © I_Am_The_Grape**** / Reddit
• 19 yrs old, first apartment, first winter, first winter utility bill. I smiled and told my coworker I’ll just pay it, skip lunch, and eat cheap Mac and cheese for dinner. It’ll be ok. All that month, co-workers accidentally got extra chips from the vending machine. A wife packed an extra sandwich. A box of my favorite crackers would be on my desk when I came in. It was still hard, but I didn’t starve. Thank you guys. © alady12 / Reddit
• My husband and I were sitting on our porch holding hands and crying, just feeling overwhelmed because we were waiting to find out whether or not my tumor was cancerous. Our neighbor saw it when he was coming home. About half an hour later, he came over with some freshly-baked cookies. He didn’t even say anything, just smiled, handed them to us, and then went back home.
  Just thinking about that moment has me crying again. From his kindness, not the fear. The tumor turned out benign! © Reflection_Secure / Reddit

• I once walked to a store to buy bags for my vacuum cleaner, and I forgot to take my wallet. The shop owner gave me the bags, shook my hand, and told me to bring him money tomorrow. He put his trust in a total stranger to do the right thing, and I did. © Independent-Bike8810 / Reddit
• It’s a silly thing, but my partner and I try to say nice things about our kids when they’re in the next room. We loudly discuss how kind they were or how they made a good decision. We mention how helpful they’ve been or how reliable they are.
  We want them to know that we think they’re great, even behind their backs. © Unknown author / Reddit
• Someone I care a lot about had surgery to get tissue samples to test for cancer. He had told me about it weeks beforehand, and he seemed calm and unbothered. But I knew him well enough to see that he was scared and nervous, but didn't want to show it. I imagined that especially the week-long wait for the test results while cooped up at home alone must be terribly lonely. So I put together a care package with all kinds of things to keep him entertained and occupied and to let him know that he was not alone. The gifts were greatly appreciated, and I could tell from his message that he was really touched by the gesture. (And thankfully, it was not cancer.) © brawnybrains2 / Reddit

• So, I’m the boss of a small unisex salon. Nothing fancy, just a cozy little space where we laugh, hustle, and occasionally argue over whose turn it is to refill the water kettle.
  Yesterday, my colleagues surprised me with a birthday party. Balloons, a cake with too many candles (thanks for that), and even a handmade card signed by everyone. They said I’d been “so good to them” and just wanted to “give back the way I give to them.” I smiled. I laughed. I even pretended to be cool about it all.
  But what they don’t know is that it’s the only birthday celebration I’ve had since I was 7, if my memory serves right. I’m not big on celebrations. I never made a fuss about birthdays. Over the years, it just became another day for me. Until yesterday.
  These people I pay to work with me... turned around and gave me something that felt personal. Real. Unexpectedly warm. It wasn’t about the cake. Or the decorations. It was the thought. The quiet gratitude wrapped itself around the room like a hug.
  I’m not even sure how to say thank you in a way that matches what I feel.
  But hey, here’s to unexpected kindness and work families that feel a little like home. 💛 © Hexa_Rose / Reddit

• We were a poor family. My mom had made a point of saving up enough once to take my sister and me to the zoo & museum. We had a great day and even ate out.
  Then, on the way to the bus stop heading home, she realized she’d overspent & didn’t have enough to pay for all three of us to get there. We were looking at a 6-mile walk, and it had just started snowing.
  We duck into a small Chinese restaurant & ask if we can use the phone (Mom was going to ask someone for a ride). The owner asks us why we needed the phone, and after Mom explains, he not only gave us the money we needed to get on the bus but also sent us home with enough food to feed 6 people.
  My mom told him we’d try to pay him back one day, but he asked that we pay it forward instead.
  It was the first random act of kindness that I’d ever received & sticks with me 30 years later. © hassenoma01 / Reddit

Kindness has the incredible power to heal, inspire, and connect us all. Even in a hard world, small, caring actions remind us we’re never truly alone.