Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Sometimes, it can be easy to ignore people who look different than us. And those people recognize it.
This week, one reader shared his story about a time someone took the time to genuinely care about his family when they look different from other people.
On being generous to everyone:
BG
"I took my wife and three children to Hogle Zoo last summer. While getting in line with my wife and children ages 5 years, 20 months and 7 months old, an elderly lady came up to visit with us. She told us how beautiful our children were. We were shocked at this amazing woman.
"Normally, people will avoid talking to us because our arms have sleeve tattoos. It makes some people nervous. This woman talked to us like we were family and when we got close to the counter she said, 'What am I doing? I already got your family tickets!' She then handed us the tickets we needed to get in for the day. She asked me to use our ticket money on lunch or souvenirs for our children and make it the best day we could for them.
"I'll never forget this. Such an amazing experience. I've never been more grateful. I gave her the biggest hug to show my gratitude and we parted ways."
On remembering what it's like:
Vickie S.
"I was in the checkout line at Costco in May. I hadn't really noticed but a child in the cart in front of me was very upset and crying loudly. What really made me take notice was when another young woman a couple of lines over came rushing over leaving her cart in line. She reached out to the mother with the upset child and insisted that she come take her place in line.
"The nice young woman was next in her line to be checked out and the mother with the upset child was a few carts back in line. The carts were pretty full in front of her. The mother did not understand at first but the nice young woman told her she knew what it was like to have an upset child while shopping. You could tell the mother was touched by the kindness; I certainly was."
On helping the kids:
Brad M.
"I recently went shopping for a Scout troop where I loaded up a shopping cart from their list trying to stay under the budget. The subtotal was quite high, and the manager looking at the pile of stoves and cast iron asked if I was starting up a chuck wagon. I said it was to outfit a recently donated trailer for the Scouts. When they totaled it up I told them it seemed to be about $150 less than what I'd expected. The cashier told me that the manager had given a big discount to the troop. Thank you from the boys."
On the small things:
Laura L.
"Being in a care center trying to get my lymphedema under control has opened my eyes to how small acts make such a difference. One resident makes cards to pass the time. For Mother's Day she received a gift card, but waited over a week for a family member to come and take her. I put a post on Facebook and five different people sent her card making supplies. She is pretty dumbfounded that so many people took time to care. It's the small things that can make a difference."
Have you seen any moments of service or kindness? Do you want to share a story about something that made your day? Email a brief story (100 words or fewer) along with any photos or video to crosenlof@ksl.com.
