A mom of two from new zealand, struggling to cope with restless kids during a ferry delay, was surprised and touched when a stranger stepped in.
a stay-at-home mom, emma heaphy, who is also a qualified lawyer and author, said in her lovewhatmatters post that this unprompted act of kindness “is what supporting a mother looks like.”
heaphy’s hours-long journey with her children was waylaid by a lengthy delay at the ferry terminal. by 2 a.m., she was trying in vain to find a spot on the floor for a moment’s rest. but her children, fidgety after hours confined to the car, were crawling all over her.
that’s when a stranger noticed heaphy’s exhaustion and started collecting her kids’ scattered toys from the floor, without being asked. next, she brought heaphy water from the dispenser, without knowing how long it had been since her last meal or drink.
then, the thoughtful stranger asked if she could help comfort the children.
heaphy said: “it was a completely refreshing approach taken by someone i didn’t expect, asking if she could help me by trying to get my fussy eight-month-old baby to sleep so i could have a much needed break, or nap, or in her words, ‘anything i needed.'”
“i needed her more than she will ever know that night,” heaphy added. “and it was more than the physical help our situation screamed for. it was about feeling seen.”
beyond struggling as a mom, heaphy simply felt like “a person who needed a hand” that night. moved, she snapped a tender photo of her baby being cradled by the kind stranger who understood a mother’s needs, and shared it online.
heaphy said that her baby son, who usually only relaxes in his mother’s arms, slept soundly for half an hour.
“i did nothing other than watch them in front of me in peace, eyes open but arms resting,” heaphy wrote. “she was a stranger, but she was the silver lining that night.
“she was the stranger that saw me.”
the mom of two eventually headed home with nothing but a name and a photo, but the memory left a lasting impression. she hopes that others choose to reach out, too, as even the smallest act of kindness could make an exhausted mother’s day.
this is an excerpt from the epoch times and a reminder that we desperately need to put down our phones, our distractions and be the people we were designed to be. there is "need" all around us, everyday, if we but look. don't be afraid to help. this article touched me because i don't see females answering the call, like i do us men.......... for obvious reasons. i go to the homeless camps several times a month. sam's or costco's cooked chickens are $5.00. they can feed a family along with a loaf of bread, case of water and some baby wipes. homeless are not always druggies. i see so many older people, sick older people who for different reasons find themselves helpless. i see families fall thru the cracks while illegals are put up in hotels and given an allowance, a cell phone, food stamps and cash. please look around as you drive to work, return home or go shopping. they are people everywhere: sitting on curbs or walking around with a sleeping bag. i did some prepping yesterday at the dollar tree and saw a young black man with a drink and a unruly sleeping bag draped around his arm. i always have my head on swivel while checking out my supplies and knew right away he was either in need or about to cause trouble. i took my booty to my truck and loaded up. i noitced him walking up and down the side of the store hidden from most eyes as he quickly drank his soda. it was as if he wanted to approach someone in the parking lot, but just couldn't bring himself to do it. he was painfully thin, so that bothered me. i backed out and headed to the hidden side of the store and pulled out some money, motioned for him to come over, which he did cautiously, handed him the bill and without saying a word he lunged forward to hug me as he cried. he said, "that is alot of money", thru his tears. yes, i was rattled. it was not alot of money to me and i wished i had stopped alittle long to hear his story before i drove off. just wanted to share. yes, i was afraid, but i took a chance to have faith in humanity. i didn't even ask his name. i'll do better next time.
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