12 Reader Comments on Kindness

Lately we’ve noticed amazing stories of kindness in the comments and thought we should share them as soon as humanly possible. Here are 12 reader comments…

On help that heals:

“There’s nothing I could ever do to repay the kindness of the hospital chaplain, who helped my grandma when she was dying of COVID. She was able to video chat with all her kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. She passed away the next day, and those two hours we spent with her are the most precious of my life.” — A.

“I was hit by a car while walking across a crosswalk. I called a dear friend to let her know I needed help. She came to my home with clean flannel sheets. She made my bed, tucked me in, drove with my son to our favorite restaurant, and brought back dinner. She came again and again as I recuperated. It’s been 13 years and I still sleep on those flannel sheets every winter.” — Tricia

“Last year, my dad had a psychiatric break down. My mum and I were in the hospital with him, and he didn’t know who I was. A doctor and a student nurse came in to assess him, and, through tears, he said, ‘This woman says she’s my daughter, but I don’t have a daughter!” That got me, and I started to tear up. The nurse walked around dad’s bed and silently stood there, rubbing my back. That simple human touch meant the world to me. I think of it often.” — Sally

On passing it on:

“The day after my husband and I were married at City Hall, we treated ourselves to nosebleed Yankees tickets. We struck up a conversation with the couple sitting behind us, and they shared that they had been married for 20 years. Near the end of the game, they handed us a 20 dollar bill that they both signed wishing us a long, happy marriage. We hung their bill on the wall in our apartment and plan to save it until our 20-year anniversary when we will pass it along to another young couple just starting out.” — Anne

“When I was 15, I flew to Paris by myself to see family friends. I was nervous about getting myself to their house on my own — this was pre international cell phone days! The man sitting next to me on the plane helped me with my bags, walked me to a taxi and gave them the right address. I didn’t know how to thank him, but he told me someone had helped him on his first overseas trip. Now I always keep a lookout for people looking lost in airports.” — Nicole

On sweetness with pups:

“I was walking down a busy London street when a young man approached, chatting on his phone and walking a whippet. A police siren sounded in the distance and without missing a beat he cradled the phone into his shoulder and bent down to gently cover his dog’s ears until it passed. It was such a instinctively kind gesture, it made my heart swell.” — Maria

“When my grandpa visited us, he would bring his dog but would have to leave the dog home whenever we went out. He felt bad leaving her alone, so before leaving he always said, ‘Don’t worry, Grandpa is going to church, and he’ll be right back.’ But we were never going to church! We were going to a restaurant or the beach. We think his rationale was that if the dog ‘thought’ he was going to church, he would be forgiven for leaving her alone.” — Thami

On the kindness of strangers:

“My first child had terrible reflux. At the airport, right before her first flight, she promptly spit up all over me. The most glamorous woman silently came up, grabbed the burp cloth, and cleaned me up, walking away with a smile. I will never forget her kindness during a moment where I felt so overwhelmed.” — Monica

“I was crouching in the Target school supplies section, counting out notebooks for my students. Suddenly, I overheard a cracking voice of a teenage boy whisper into a handheld intercom: ‘This is Brent on aisle 17. I see a teacher buying school supplies. Would we be able to offer her the teacher discount that ended last week? Okay, copy.’ He then approached me to tell me about the teacher discount. He noted that his mom was a teacher so he wanted me to get the best deal, and he personally rang me up.” — Stacy

On sweet words for moms:

“When I was pregnant, we lived in Brooklyn and frequented a neighborhood bagel shop known for the guys behind the counter being impatient and kind of rude. The kind of place where if you didn’t know what you wanted by the time you got to the front of the line, you were in trouble! After placing my order, the main guy – who was usually the gruffest – handed me my bagel and said, ‘Here you go, miss. I made it with love because I see you’re eating for two.” — Erin

“I was eight months pregnant at work and feeling miserable. A regular customer walked in and said, ‘I know you probably don’t feel like it, but you look beautiful carrying your baby.’ I was also growing my dreads out and another regular — who herself had a set of enviable dreadlocks — told me that she could see my baby in my hair because it had grown so much.” — Tiffani

“I was living in Europe working as an au pair and came home to California for Christmas. When my mom took me back to the airport after the holidays, we had a looong hug. The security guard in charge of keeping people moving through the drop-off zone left us alone for a while, then finally came up and with so much kindness and gentleness in his voice said: ‘Gotta let her go, Mom.’ That was almost 15 years ago, and my mom and I say it to each other when we have trouble saying goodbye.” — Shannon

P.S. More reader comments and the kindest anniversary surprise.

(Photo from Ted Lasso.)