A routine breakfast with his children turned into a heartwarming moment for a man and his children when the kindness of a stranger left him speechless.
The Californians were eating at a local diner in Suisun City when they asked for the check. But the server arrived instead with a heartfelt note explaining that their check had already been paid. The note scrawled on a piece of paper, read: "For my daughter's birthday we are doing random acts of kindness. Their dad left so we picked you for being out with your baby. Enjoy!"
The anonymous dad on Reddit said he was so touched by the moment it brought tears to his eyes. He told Newsweek he was "certainly surprised," and added. "We asked for the check, and our waitress brought the note instead. Once the initial shock wore off, it made me feel grateful."
Later, he decided to share the story with Reddit's r/MadeMeSmile community where it quickly gained traction, drawing hundreds of comments and stories of similar gestures.
The father, who regularly takes his children out for breakfast as a cherished weekly ritual, says the experience inspired him to pay the kindness forward. "We spent the rest of the day paying forward the kindness we received," he said in a post on Reddit. "[It] made my eyes well up a bit."
PoseyPark said: "How sweet! These acts really do make it easier to catch the kindness bug and want to spread it."
Another Reddit user, kieto333, shared a similar memory: "An old boss of mine would do this. Wherever he ate lunch, he would pick someone random to buy their lunch. Usually an older couple. Thought it was pretty cool for someone that was usually very 'by the book.'"
Unknown_Goose shared: "This just happened to me yesterday, a nice couple paid for me an my friend's meal. So I decided to pay it forward and pay for a mother and her two kids' meals. Always feels better to pay it forward."
The story even inspired others to consider adopting the tradition. "I think I'd like to do this for my daughter's birthday this March. It's very much up her alley," wrote user wehadthebabyitsaboy.
While the stranger who left the note chose to remain anonymous, their kind gesture has left a mark on the dad who was delighted by the moment, and the response on Reddit.
"Reddit can be toxic," he said. "Sometimes, it's nice to share something that makes folks smile. It inspired a lot of folks to share similar stories of goodwill and generosity. We need more of that, and not just in December."