Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Anonymous Compassion


--by lowerredfox, posted Apr 16, 2016
I just retired as a grounds keeper at a small cemetery in Pennsylvania. My position allowed me anonymity while observing people in pain. The most touching of all these moments happened in the early 90’s and it was because of the kindness of a stranger who will never know how she touched another’s heart.

The most heartbreaking of all the graves are those of infants. One grave in particular was marked only by a stone lamb and metal name plaque that showed that the infant’s birth and date of death was the same day. It is near the road leading into the cemetery.

Whenever there is a graveside service, we suspend our maintenance duties and do our best to remain out of sight. One such occasion was in the morning of an otherwise beautiful spring day. The man must have been well loved because flowers overflowed his plot and those who attended the service had to park well away from his plot because of the number of parked cars.

One woman on her way to the graveside service was carrying a beautiful bouquet of white roses. She did a double take when she started to pass the infant’s grave and then stood there for a few minutes. She looked over a few times at all the flowers at the gravesite of the man. Then she knelt down and brushed off the marker of the infant’s grave and left the bouquet of roses there. Then she joined the others at the man’s grave and I lost her in the crowd.

That afternoon I was trimming hedges near a fountain. I saw an older model car drive slowly up. It stopped near the same infant’s grave. A woman in a nurse’s uniform got out of the driver’s seat and got a wheelchair out from the trunk. She then lifted a frail elderly woman into the chair. The elderly woman pointed toward the infant’s grave and the nurse rolled her there. The nurse then stepped back to allow the woman privacy as she grieved. I could see the elderly woman lean forward and gently touch the flowers left there. Her shoulder shook with emotion, but there were tears and a beautiful smile on her face.
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Readers Comments

ChristineAZ wrote: This is the most beautiful story ever! I love this! Thank you for sharing!
Brandon wrote: Loving kindness abounds.
anne2 wrote: Bless you for sharing this story; this is one i will always remember.
AnnC wrote: A beautiful story
kjoyw wrote: Such a moving story.
leoladyc728 wrote: this was such a touching post. thank you for sharing.
mindyjourney wrote: tx for sharing with us, my friend...sort of reminds me of an infant gravestone that i'd visit as child...unknown to me, but near grandparents and had a lamb statue. just the other day left a jonquil there <3...
splain wrote: such a beautiful story. People can always amaze me with there kindness. To put flowers on a baby's grave, and then the elderly lady seeing maybe her child's grave with a beautiful bunch of flowers. How that would have touched her heart.
melnotes wrote: Thank you for sharing your kindness xx
Mish wrote: Blessed be ✨👼✨

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