Stories of goodwill and gratitude

Palm Coast Observer
Opinion

Every now and then, I get emails and snail mail from people who decline to give their last names. Unfortunately, we can’t publish them as letters to the editor. But I can’t pass these two up.

The first is one from Helen. She said the following:

“I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the unknown persons who paid for my dinner on Saturday, Oct. 19, at the Plantation Grill, Ormond Beach. They were completely unknown to me, and I didn't realize what they had done until I asked my waiter for the bill. By then, they had left the restaurant.”

That’s the full email. The rest is left to our imaginations. Who were these anonymous do-gooders? What made them pay for a stranger’s meal? Did they walk briskly out of the restaurant with grins on their faces, as if they had just gotten away with something? How long did their good mood last after they had driven safely away?

If anyone is looking for a good, creative dating idea, this sounds like fun! Go to a restaurant, pick someone and buy their meal anonymously. Then, just watch their reactions from across the room.

The second letter was sent by Rob. He wrote:

“I was wondering: Could I say thank you to a gentleman? I was in Target at 4:45 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 27. I was in the express lane. I had two loaves of bread. The gentleman in front of me told me to go ahead of him. I thanked him. When the girl scanned the bread, the gentleman said, ‘I got it. Today is your lucky day.’

“I never could have been more grateful. Two loaves of bread may not be a lot to some people. But when you have a hard time making ends meet, the two loaves mean a lot. It’s nice to see there are people with a kind heart in this world.

“Now it’s my turn to pay it forward. You're the only way I know to reach this angel. Maybe if people see this, they may pay it forward if given the chance. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.”

I also would like to thank you, Unknown Gentleman Who Helped Rob. And thanks to Rob and Helen for showing such good examples of gratitude.

As I have thought about these stories, I have also been inspired to help. The other day, I bumped into an acquaintance who was on hard times, so I gave him a cake I had just bought.

Do you have any stories about helping or being helped? It’s a great time of year to spread the love, so send me an email if you'd like to share: [email protected].