Stories of Kindness from Around the World

Saying 'Thanks' to a Military Family


--by 22flojo, posted Dec 6, 2011

It was the second year of the war in Iraq.  My husband and I went to dinner at TGI Friday's in Honolulu.  We were already seated and eating when we noticed a man in a US military uniform with his blonde wife and three children, the youngest in a stroller, waiting in line outside the restaurant.  My husband decided at that moment that he would pay the dinner bill for them and summoned the waiter to take care of it. The family was seated close enough so that we could see them clearly.  The kids were well behaved, except of course for the baby.  We ate slowly and watched while they finished their meal and the waiter announced to the man and his wife that the bill was paid in full by a fellow patron who wished to remain anonymous.  The man told his wife, and both looked around the room as if to get some sort of acknowledgment.  We could see tears welling up in the man's eyes.  My husband is retired Navy and a retired firefighter. I am so proud of him for that act of kindness.

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Readers Comments

RMB333 wrote: Great! Thank you for sharing your happiness ... it makes the readers happy too! With Blessings...
Bluxess wrote: That was a sweet gesture from both of you to the man and his family ... What is so beautiful is you both chose to be anonymous ... and admired the priceless joy on their faces ... Thank you. Bluxess.
hasifa wrote: I love things like this. thank you for sharing such a lovely story. stories like this inspire me to be kind to others as well.
MakeSomeoneSmile wrote: That is a wonderful thing to do and a great way to make them feel appreciated! :)
AnnieJ wrote: How exciting! It must have been very nice to see their surprise :)
Kiki wrote: Excellent! I love this story! I hope others follow suit.
Hileah wrote: Wow, this is a fabulous demonstration of aloha!

Bless those who pay it forward with only loving generosity in their hearts!
Ron U wrote: Feel humbled to know both of you. Mahala! Mahalo!

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