12 Real-life Stories That Show Kindness Can Move Mountains

Sometimes, the smallest act of kindness can transform a moment of despair into one of hope, reminding us that good still exists in the world. In this collection, we share touching, true stories of people who experienced unexpected compassion from strangers or acquaintances just when they needed it most. These heartfelt moments are a testament to the power of kindness and are sure to leave you feeling inspired and uplifted.

• My neighbor was a single mom with a little boy. She hardly made ends meet. I used to babysit him and feed him. Then one day, they vanished without a word.
  20 years passed. I’m now a secretary at a law firm, and I saw her son’s name scheduled for a visit.
  Later that day, he arrived. My hands started shaking when I saw him. He came in, and I was shocked when he started to walk straight toward me. He said my name and introduced himself.
  He had become a successful lawyer. That little boy was now a handsome young man—6 feet tall and wearing an elegant suit. I learned that he was meeting with our head lawyer to join the firm. He was a bright attorney and, despite his young age, had already started to make a big name for himself.
  He told me that he had just moved back to town and remembered me taking care of him. He thanked me and said that he and his mom had never forgotten my kindness. His mom was also back in town and excited to meet me.

• I was in NYC taking a lunch break at a job I absolutely hated. I was sitting alone, eating at a McDonald’s, when after about 15 minutes, a man in his 40s or 50s walked up to me. (I was a 28-year-old male at the time.)
  He looked at me and said something like, “Hey man, you look really sad. Things will get better,” and then shook my hand. It takes a lot for one adult man to offer that kind of support to another stranger. It really cheered me up. © Unknown author / Reddit

• My alternator died while I was driving home from university. The engine gave out just as I exited the freeway in the middle of the night, in a not-so-pleasant part of town—back in the days before cell phones. As I was pushing my car out of the intersection, a guy in a truck pulled up and offered to push my car to my neighborhood, a good three miles away.
  He did so, and as I pulled into my neighborhood, he simply gave a wave and drove off into the night. I never even had the chance to thank him. © KahBhume / Reddit

• A man in a full business suit with a briefcase handed me an umbrella during 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 headed.
  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. It felt like the universe wanted it to happen.
  I’ll never forget that man, though. © im_not_bovvered / Reddit

• Spring 2018. I accidentally stumbled upon a wedding dress I loved for $60 with only three weeks left until my wedding. I called around everywhere, and not one local business could fit me in for alterations.
  I was discussing this with a coworker during our hospital lunch break in a quiet area when a nurse from the cancer center popped around the corner and said, “I do alterations! I’d love to look at it!” Taken aback, I asked her what she usually charges for her work. She said, “Eh, 50 dollars.” (This is extremely cheap for wedding dress alterations.) I accepted her offer, got her number, and we arranged for me to bring it in on our lunch break the next day.
  She had me do several fittings just to make sure it was perfect. She even purchased additional material for part of it. During those times, we spoke about our lives, and she told me that her mother had passed that winter. They used to sew together, and working on projects like this made her feel close to her mom again.
  On the day I picked it up, she handed me the dress with a huge smile. I tried to give her the money, but she wouldn’t take it. She said it was on her, in honor of her mother. I broke down, and we both cried together. I promised to pass on her good deed one day. © GoKelsey / Reddit

• I transferred in the middle of the first grade to a school that did Ice Cream Fridays, where you’d pay like 50 or 75¢ for whatever kind and then watch an educational video in the classroom. I was unaware of this when the first Friday rolled around, so I didn’t have any change, and neither did the kid next to me. Normally, there would be a few kids who didn’t get ice cream, but this day, we were the only two.
  So the teacher called the both of us aside and gave us each the change required to get our ice cream. I think the biggest thing was that she didn’t do it in front of the other kids, so it looked like we had brought the money all along. It was incredibly kind of her—she was a wonderful teacher outside of that as well. © Unknown author / Reddit

• I was around 19 years old, in my first year of community college. My dad had lost his job, and my mom was supporting our entire family. We had been struggling for a while. I remember being in my night class one day, starving. I figured there’d be no dinner, so I told myself I’d go straight to bed when I got home and not think about being hungry.
  When I got home after class, there was a giant box of Costco pizza on the kitchen counter. Apparently, one of our neighbors had bought it for us because my dad had fixed part of her fence a few months back. I think it stuck with me because:
  A. I was so hungry, and
  B. The chances of her bringing food that night, of all nights, felt insane to me.
  It might sound stupid, but I’ll never forget it. © melimelsx / Reddit

• I was nine years old, waiting for the school bus in a Wisconsin winter. I had a thin coat, no hat, and no gloves. A woman driving past saw me, stopped her car, and pulled out a blanket from the back.
  It was long and skinny, so she wrapped it around my head and shoulders like a big scarf. I remember thanking her but feeling confused. I told her I didn’t know how I would give it back when I was done borrowing it. She hugged me and said not to worry.
  I still have that blanket. © saintdelft / Reddit

• My neighbors asked to borrow my truck, but I told them I couldn’t trust it because the tires were bad. The next day, Mr. Neighbor called and said he was getting new tires for his Suburban and that I could have his old ones. He told me to just show up at a certain tire shop, and they’d put them on for me.
  When I got to the tire shop, they put on a brand-new set of Goodyear tires. Confused, I asked what happened to the old tires I was supposed to get. The shop owner smiled and said the “old tires” story was just a way to get me there. Turns out, Mr. Neighbor had bought me a full set of new tires instead. © jorcam / Reddit

• After my dad passed away, my depression kicked into overdrive. I went to the doctor and got a prescription for antidepressants. While I was picking up my prescription, I started crying.
  When I apologized to the pharmacist for “crying like a child,” the pharmacist gently said, “You don’t have to apologize. You recognize you have a problem, and you’re trying to fix it. That is a brave thing.”
  That moment changed my perspective on treating my mental illness. © cranberryboggle / Reddit

• When I was at school, I helped a girl out when she was having a meltdown in the bathroom. A few weeks later, she pretended to be my friend who had been waiting to meet me when I was being followed home by two guys.
  We never saw each other outside of those two occasions, but I still think about her and hope she’s doing okay somewhere out there. © Numerous_Emus / Reddit

• I took my sister, who’s in a wheelchair, to the cinema for the first time on my own. At the end, I realized I couldn’t undo the brakes and was blocking everyone. I felt like crying because I thought everyone was pissed at me, but a kind lady came over and helped me.
  She even walked us out afterward. She told me she once had a son who needed a wheelchair. This was a long time ago, but I’ll never forget her kindness. © Zedfourkay / Reddit

If you’re looking for more wholesome moments to lift your spirits, explore this collection of 12 true stories that can bring a much-needed dose of warmth to your day.