Kasey Simmons found himself in the position of helping out a grieving woman by buying her groceries. He said he noticed the woman in a Kroger store in Little Elm, Texas, and she struck him as sad, and he wanted to do something to elevate some of the sadness, if he could.
So he paid for her groceries and went on his way.
“I insisted. It was only $17, but it’s not about the money — it’s about showing someone you care,” Simmons said, according to WFAA in Dallas.
The next day, Simmons, 32, went to Applebee’s, where he works as a server.
A family came in and ordered the cheapest thing on the menu, a glass of flavored water, which goes for 37 cents. After they placed the order, they left promptly.
You might think that’s unusual, but what happened next is even more unusual.
The family left a tip $500, and a note explaining the gesture.
After reading the note on the napkin, Simmons learned that woman at the grocery store was sad because she was mourning her husband’s death, which happened three year ago. The woman’s daughter left the tip and the note, which explained that she wanted to thank the man who showed her mother extreme kindness.
“On one of the most depressing days of the year, the death of my father’s three-year anniversary, you made my mother’s day wonderful,” the note said.
“She has been smiling ever since,” the note continued.
This just goes to show how we can never know just how much a kind gesture could mean to someone who is hurting.
What an incredible story of how kindness is contagious. Simmons said he’d love to meet the family who left the generous tip and thank them in person.