"I almost cried": Mum shocked by stranger's random act of kindness
A mother-of-two has almost been reduced to tears by a stranger's random act of kindness in a busy cafe.
The mum, a woman named Tyne, was at a cafe in the Sunshine Coast suburb of Mooloolaba with her husband and two young sons, when she struck up a conversation with a woman reading a book nearby.
She said she felt a wave of guilt that her rowdy children were disrupting the woman's peaceful morning, and leaned over to apologise.
The woman assured the mother there was nothing to apologise for, with the woman's next act leaving the mum speechless.
“A beautiful (and full on) weekend away with Mr 3.5y & Mr 1.5y my husband and I sat with coffees at a beautiful cafe waiting for breakfast for us,” Tyne wrote in a Facebook group called The Kindness Pandemic, where people share stories of their heartwarming interactions with strangers.
“I immediately apologised to the lovely lady sitting near us as she had a book and I was afraid the boys wouldn’t be too peaceful."
“We were chatting for a little and then she left after her breakfast.”
When the mum went to pay for her family’s bill, the cashier informed her that the stranger had “taken care of it” and handed her a heartwarming note.
“It was such a pleasure sharing my brekkie space with you,” the note read.
“Please keep doing what you’re doing. You’ve got a beautiful family.”
Tyne said she “almost cried” when she realised that the stranger had paid for her family’s entire breakfast.
The cafe was situated close to one of the Sunshine Coast’s most popular attractions, Sea Life Aquarium, where the family had planned to spend their day.
“Hopefully you can splurge a little more at Sea Life today,” the stranger added in the note, before signing off, “Love Em.”
The mum said she was overwhelmed by the stranger’s incredible act of kindness, saying she "almost cried".
“She paid for us … And her kind words were what I needed to hear.”
Tyne said the stranger was an “amazing soul” and vowed to pay it forward”.
“If you are Em staying in Mooloolaba for work and went to a quirky local that’s your favourite … YOU ARE AN AMAZING SOUL!” she said.
People in the comments also shared their reactions to the heartfelt gesture.
“Lovely lady. Your children would be being just that, children. Don’t apologise about them,” one wrote.
“What a beautiful person Em clearly is. This was so gorgeous to read.”
Image credits: Facebook