15 Stories Where Small Acts of Kindness Left a Lasting Mark

Sometimes we do things out of empathy and have no idea of the ripple effect we’ve caused. Our actions could bring people happiness or set them on a path we had never imagined. Here are 15 stories that prove that kindness can leave a lasting impression.

• For 6 months, I bought food for a homeless man outside my work. My coworkers mocked me. “He’s playing you.” One day, he wasn’t there. Weeks went by. Then an unknown number called saying he’d died. My heart stopped when the voice on the phone told me he’d left a letter. The caller was an attorney. Inside, shaky handwriting, “Your coworkers were right, I had money. $280,000 in veteran’s benefits I couldn’t touch after my family died. You asked my name. Remembered my birthday. I’m leaving this money to you because you’re the only person in 15 years who treated me like I mattered. Your coworkers laughed at your kindness. I’m making sure it’s the last laugh you need.”

• 20 years ago, I met this girl at the beach early in the morning. We ended spending the afternoon together. It was her last couple days in town before moving out of state. I saw her off to her bus as she was on her way to a going away party. She had roses for her friend and ran back to me from her line to board to give me a rose. Never spoke again. I’ll never forget her and not wonder how she is doing. © BornToHulaToro / Reddit

• When I was about 10, I was on my way from horseback riding lessons, and we stopped at a Subway to get food. My mother stayed in the car while my brother and I went in to order. When we went to pay using the cash our mother gave us, we found out that a woman in front of us in line paid for our food. It’s extremely small, and for a lot of people it’s a forgettable thing. I’m sure she would never be able to recall that she did it. But for me, I kind of hung onto that as one of the first kind things a stranger ever did for me. I’ve since made sure that if I’m able to afford it, I pay for the person behind me to honor that lady, and to possible give someone the same small feeling of joy 10-year-old me felt. © ThatLid / Reddit

• My coworker was a single mom struggling badly. For a year, I babysat her kids for free every Friday so she could work overtime. My boyfriend said I was being ’used.’ When she got promoted and moved to another city, she didn’t even say goodbye. I felt stupid. Until she sent me plane tickets and a letter, “Come visit.” When I arrived, she handed me keys to a car that was fully paid. She was crying. “You watched my kids 52 Fridays. You never asked for money. You never made me feel like charity. Because of those Fridays, I got the overtime, got the promotion, got the bonus. This car costs $15,000. It doesn’t cover what you gave me, but I need you to know, your kindness wasn’t wasted. It was invested in my family. You’re family now.”

• One of my friends in middle school noticed that no one ever slow-danced with me at school dances. I was always too shy to ask anyone to dance. She grabbed my hands and slow danced with me, just so I could truly be part of the friend group. It’s still one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me, even though it was really a tiny gesture. © LEIFey / Reddit

• About 15 years ago. I was living out of my van with expired tags & I spent my days at a local public park. I could shower there & just walk around it. A police officer that came through every day noticed me & my expired tags. He ended up not giving me a ticket, telling me I can ask the DMV for an extension. He proceeded to give me his business card, telling me to call him if I needed anything. As he walked away, I look at his card & he slipped me some cash under the card. He was gone before I could even thank him. I’ll never forget him & his kindness.
  © Pretty_Fun_309 / Reddit

• I was a waitress. One regular, an old woman, came every Tuesday for 6 years. She tipped $2 but talked for hours. Other servers avoided her table. I always took her, and listened to stories about her late husband. When she stopped coming, I assumed she’d moved. Then her son called me to say she’d passed. At her funeral, he handed me a box. Inside were 6 years of journals, every entry mentioned me by name. “Sarah listened today. She remembered my husband’s birthday.” The last entry said, “She thinks I’m just a lonely old woman who tips badly. But she gave me a reason to leave my house. She gave me a friend.” Her son said, “She left you $75,000. She had no one else who made her feel seen. You did that with kindness, not pity.”

• It was 1958 and l was going to a small county elementary school. 6th grade. A guy in my 6th grade class was the best looking, the best athlete and smartest guy in our class, Mr. Everything. The 6th grade held a Halloween Social every year. It was the only school dance l ever went to. Well, the girl down the street from me wanted to dance with this guy, but he was dancing with the most popular girl all night. She started to cry in the corner. Someone went to him and told him what was going on. He came over an ask her to dance. She was smiling from ear to ear. She wasn’t the best looking or popular girl, but even at 11 or 12 he made her day. I’m 78 years old and still tear up thinking about it. What a great guy. © namvet67 / Reddit

• I was a very troubled 19-year-old runaway in NYC who had just passed out on the street after walking out of the doctor’s office. I had a procedure done, but hadn’t completely recovered from the anesthesia. A very concerned lady in her 30s stopped and talked to me for a few minutes. Then she walked next door and bought me a carton of orange juice and sat with me while I sipped on it. Once I started to perk up (she sat with me for a good 10 minutes), she made sure I had someone to call and was feeling steady before she left. It was the kindest thing a stranger has ever done for me, and I will never forget it. © SurviveStyleFivePlus / Reddit

• When I was riding my bike as a kid, my chain fell off on the side of the road. A pickup truck pulled up, and a gruff looking guy got out. Of course, my first thought was, “stranger danger.” But instead, he came up noticed the issue right away and fixed my chain for me, and went on his way. It’s been probably 30 years and I still remember him. © Pipew***Farmer / Reddit

• One day, not long after graduating from college, I was on a back road on my way to visit some friends. I thought I had enough gas to make it to the closest gas station, but I definitely did not. I ended up stuck in the middle of nowhere, with minimal cell service, and nobody answering when I could get a call through. An older gentleman from a house on the road saw me and offered me some gas so I could make it to the gas station. I offered to bring back money, or a refilled gas container, but he declined. Instead, he told me to pay it forward. Almost 20 years later and I try to pay it forward when I can because this moment still stays with me. © Dear-Living-7867 / Reddit

• It was my first day in the 8th grade. First days of school were almost always half days, so I didn’t bring any lunch money. However, due to a teacher’s strike, school was delayed in starting by two weeks. One of the lunch monitors noticed I wasn’t eating and gave me some money to buy my lunch. I still remember it almost 50 years later. © mykindofexcellence / Reddit

• When my stepson was about 5, his “mother” (who was NEVER there) came by our house to let us know she had no money for Christmas, and therefore she didn’t want her son to come over. My son’s half sister was in the car, and she had this little stuffed skunk that a friend gave her for Christmas. Well she ran up to my door, crying all the way, and she gave the toy to her brother. I bawled my head off, then found the exact skunk online and bought it for her. She was about 8 years old when she did that, and EVERY Christmas I make sure to buy her something very special. I will love her forever for being so selfless and wanting the best for her brother, even when “mom” didn’t care. © danadoozer242 / Reddit

• Once I had lunch at Ramen-Sa and when it came time to pay, I realized my wallet was in my jacket pocket in my office. I had taken it off to go walking in the rare sunny Chicago afternoon, during which walk I decided to stop in for lunch. The manager told me, “no problem, pay next time you come by.” Thankfully, my office was only 5 minutes walk away, and I was back within 15 minutes. I will never forget the calm, no judgment way I was treated. © acidaliaP / Reddit

• I’m a waiter at a small restaurant in my hometown. I usually wait the big tables for events, which include about 10–15 covers per table. It’s been night there was a particularly large table of about 18 and there was this one older woman at the table who was elegantly dressed whilst everyone else was in casual clothes. She looked incredibly defeated because everyone else was ignoring her, so I went up behind her and said to her, “you look gorgeous, honey.” I have never seen a woman become so radiant and joyful in my life, and she ended up leaving a £50 tip for the table. (In Scotland, tipping is not necessary and is more of a kind gesture to the waiter. Biggest tip I have ever received at this job.) © Otherwise_Acadia_951 / Reddit

Sometimes the smallest of things can make a massive impact on another person’s life. So be the reason someone smiles today.

If you liked this story, we’re pretty sure you’re going to enjoy the next. Check it out here: 12 Acts of Kindness That Circled Back in Shocking Ways.