Random Acts of Kindness

Earlier this week, @JeriLRyan posted something on Twitter that made me want to share this story, so here it is…

I know that some of you know different parts of this story, but here is where it all began: on April 29, 2007 my little brother was in a mountain biking accident and sustained a fracture to his cervical vertebrae. Put more plainly, he broke his neck. Everyone has moments in their life when all you can do is wonder how the world can keep on going the way it always has when yours feels like it has come to an abrupt halt, and this was one of mine. 

There were so many people who went above and beyond for us during that time that if I started listing them all I’d be here all night. This post is about a group of kids I don’t know, and have never met, but I’ll never forget what they did. Too often today we hear stories about the selfishness of my generation, and we see examples of it every day. But this was something else entirely. I still don’t know how exactly they heard about my family and what had happened, but the students got together and decided that all the proceeds of their end of school dance were going to be donated to my brother. We never knew much about them: we got a card and a cheque, and no one really stepped forward to take any credit. 

Even today, the gesture still touches me deeply, and I wish I could have told them how much it meant to us. I often despair about the state our world is in: that people just don’t seem to think outside themselves, don’t realize how much of an effect a simple gesture can have… So to anyone who has taken the time to go out of their way to help a perfect stranger: thank you. Know that you’ve made a difference, even if it’s one you may never see first-hand.

4 Notes/ Hide

  1. naddycat posted this