When you’ve hit a rough patch and nothing seems to be going right, a small act of kindness can make all the difference. No one knows that better than single mother of two Suzanne Maughan.
Just yesterday, Maughan was dining at IHOP with her daughter Hayley when a chance encounter with a kind stranger made a huge impact on her life.
The mom told the full story in a Facebook post shared by Love What Matters:
Maughan and Hayley were enjoying breakfast when Maughan noticed that the woman sitting next to her, whose name was Mary, was periodically looking over and smiling at them. When Maughan started cutting up Hayley’s pancakes, Mary told Hayley, “You must have the best mom in the whole world. Never forget how amazing she is.”
Mary then explained that she has a 49-year-old daughter who lives far away. Throughout the rest of the meal, Mary chatted off and on with Maughan and Hayley and appeared to be missing her own daughter.
When Maughan went to pay for the bill, Mary had already taken care of it. Mary even left a note that read, “Thank you for sharing your mother day & daughter day with me.”
Maughan goes on to say that Mary didn’t know what was going on in her life — the many challenges that she’s had to face — but she’s sure glad that Mary made such an act of goodwill.
“Mary doesn’t know I’m a single mother of two. She doesn’t know how difficult this week has been for me. She doesn’t know my anxieties and insecurities and how much I pray to not feel so lonely.”
Somehow Mary could sense that Maughan was struggling and decided to spare $19.15 to make a difference.
“Mary listened to that prompting and was able to be our angel, to remind us how loved we are,” she said. “So thank you, Mary. You have made such a difference in my life with your kindness.”
Mary is not only making a difference in their two lives, but also all those who are touched by this story. The Love What Matters Facebook post has received 15K likes and over a hundred supportive comments since it was posted just eight hours ago.
h/t: Huffington Post