12 People Who Prove Kindness Can Work Miracles

Helping out a stranger or doing something good for free, without expecting anything in return, is a great sign of kindness. Even small gestures can have a huge impact on other people’s lives and make them happy. In the following stories, random strangers offered help to people who needed it, inspiring all of us to follow their example.

• Just got done filling up at a gas station and it’s kind of a sketchy area. Wound up having a polite conversation with the guy at the pump next to me. As I finished up and went into the store to grab a soda, I noticed that he waited in the car to make sure I got inside my vehicle, locked it, and drove off before he took off to where he was heading. He took a second to make sure I safely made it back to my car. It’s nice to know that people care sometimes these days. © LeathalBeauty / Reddit

• I found out the guy I’ve been seeing for the last year has been using Snapchat with his exes and others. And I found out WHILE I was on vacation with him halfway across the world. So this morning at the Dublin airport waiting for my return flight, I couldn’t stop crying. Mostly I was mourning this ruined trip, but I guess I was also crying over his stupidity. Anyway, a woman named Barbara must have seen me crying. She came up to me and gave me a big hug, gave me a bottle of water, asked what was wrong, and told me that I could come sit with her and her husband if I wanted to. I wish I had thanked her more. I hope she knows what a huge impact she had on my day. © Misery-guts- / Reddit
• I was up in MN for work when my parent got the call for a heart transplant. Well, it went bad and they ended up being placed into a medical coma and on ECMO so I had to rush back. It was a 2 day drive back to TX so I drove back to OK, stayed the night, and got up at 3:30am the next day to try and rush to the hospital. I was exhausted and stopped at the first Starbucks I saw that was open. There was only one car in front of me and no one behind me so the person wasn’t trying to start a “pay-it-forward” line or anything. I pulled up when they let me know the person in front of me paid for my coffee.
  I burst into tears. It’s crazy — buying that coffee had nothing to do with the outcome of my parent’s surgery or recovery. When someone bought me that coffee I took that kind gesture as a sign that things were going to be OK. It changed my entire outlook and gave me peace to make the rest of my trip safely. They’ll never know what that cup of coffee meant to me or what that act of kindness did for me that day. But I’ll always be grateful for that small gesture. © Late_Tone9214 / Reddit
  

• I defended a single mom caught stealing a blue pen. She had promised it for her son’s birthday but couldn’t afford it. In court, I convinced the judge to let her go because she was just a mother keeping a promise.
  25 years later, I ran my own law firm. One day, I was set to interview a new employee. He walked in, smiled, and shook my hand. But I was stunned when he suddenly pulled a blue pen from his pocket and placed it on my desk. I froze, staring at the pen. “25 years ago, my mom stole a blue pen and you saved her.” Suddenly, all the memories came rushing back—the courtroom, the little boy, his tear-filled eyes as I fought for his mother. I looked up and saw his smile. “I keep it as a reminder that one day, I wanted to be like you.”
  The little boy had grown into an exceptional man and a prominent young lawyer. And of course, he got the job. Later that week, he invited me to dinner with him and his mother. We had the most heartfelt reunion.
• Today the simplest act of kindness just broke me. I’m out of town because my elderly father fell and fractured his c-spine, in other words, he broke his neck! He’ll be okay, but it’s been really difficult, to say the least. Today I stopped to get gas and put in wiper fluid and this lovely gentleman insisted I get back into the warm truck while he took care of the wiper fluid. He’ll never know how much that simple act meant to me as I sobbed while driving away. © loricomments / Reddit
• It was a long day at work, and all I wanted to do was get home. The snowstorm last night and into this morning made the roads a mess, and I didn’t have time to shovel before heading out. When I pulled into my driveway, my car got completely stuck in the snow. I was getting frustrated, trying to push it out, but there was no way I was doing it alone. Out of nowhere, this guy pulls up, hops out, and starts pushing my car. A few minutes later, I was able to get in! I just want to say thank you to whoever you are! © Z00***-45 / Reddit
  

• While coming back home on the underground into King’s Cross Station to catch my train, a woman on the escalator next to mine fell as she reached the top. She collapsed and the three gentlemen behind her worked together to gently drag her off the moving stairs and out of traffic. The workers at the gate were able to respond quickly but the men stayed to act as human cones to protect her from the ongoing pedestrian traffic. I know this probably won’t get read by anyone involved but I wanted to let them know that it was beautiful to see their teamwork and kindness during a scary moment. © DrLokiStark / Reddit
• I was walking to get some coffee this morning and passed by an elderly houseless man just sitting on a chair with a cardboard sign. He had incredibly kind eyes and I asked him if he’d like a coffee. He declined coffee, but said he would love some hot chocolate! I picked up a large hot chocolate with whipped cream and gave it to him on my way home. © ImAH**4Glossier / Reddit
• Today, a lady turned in my lost wallet at a Five Below—with all of my belongings still inside. This woman will never understand how much her honesty and kindness meant to me. Not only did it save me a headache in having to cancel all of my credit cards, but it restored my faith in humanity. © Mediocre_Bullfrog250 / Reddit

• I was on the bus today, sitting near the door, and when the bus took a sharp turn, I instinctively reached for the seat in front of me. I was listening to music, so when a woman next to me suddenly grabbed my arm, I said, “What?” I thought she wanted to say something because I wasn’t sure what was happening. She said while smiling, “I was afraid you were going to fall.” It immediately made me feel comfortable, which is rare for me. Usually, I feel like sitting next to someone might annoy them, but her genuine concern made me feel seen. It’s a small thing, but it really reminded me that kindness exists, even in the most unexpected places. © knowledge1001V / Reddit
• I badly injured myself while running yesterday (a really silly way to injure myself if I'm being honest,) and a young woman who was coming the other way happened to be a GP so she treated me at the scene and drove me to the hospital because my mum had the car. She (as well as her husband) is an absolute angel. I was crying so hard because her husband had to come pick her up with the first aid kit and I made him walk home as she took the car to the hospital, but she kept laughing it off and saying they literally lived down the road so it was fine. © iwantnew / Reddit
• Long story short, I (a solo female traveler) was stuck in an airport for over an hour struggling to get a taxi to accept my ride request to the city center. I was trying my best not to panic when I overheard two women who had been sitting near me say that they had finally got a taxi. I asked them what app they were using, and when they saw I couldn't get the app to work on my phone, they invited me to join their cab. I could have cried with relief and gratitude.
  I wanted to pay for their ride but they wouldn't let me. I even tried just giving them the money but they gave it back to me, saying it's only fair to split the cost three ways so I ended up paying a ridiculously low amount to get to a central location that was just like a 15-minute ride away from where I needed to go.
  We got off at their stop, which was a neighborhood marketplace-looking area that had lights on, food stalls, even a small convenience store, and plenty of people about, i.e., it seemed quite safe. I told them they could go since it was pretty late and they must be tired, but they stayed and stood around with me for like 10 minutes until I got in my taxi and left. Angels. Angels, both of them. I still keep in touch with them on social media and can't wait for the day I can repay them for their kindness. © hand_ / Reddit
  

For more heartwarming stories read our previous article about 20 Random Acts of Kindness That Would Lift Anybody Up.