Stories of Kindness from Around the World

My husband is not a big fan of kids, especially those without manners and that misbehave.

One of our neighbors has 3 children and the oldest is Jacob. He's 10 now, but was 5 at the time.  Just a big bundle of love and energy, with his bright blue eyes, red hair, freckles and braces.  (For you all that remember Mayberry RFD on TV- he's Opie's  look-alike!  For the rest of you, he's a darling! I just love him to death).

For some reason, he took a liking to my husband.  Everytime he saw him, Jacob would wave, dash across the street and come visit.  If he was in the garage repairing his bikes or in the front yard cleaning, Jacob would wave, dash across the street and come visit.  Jacob would always ask so many questions and keep my hubby company. They would ride bikes together, and what not.  They really seemed to get along well.

Well, my hubby had a sick cat that we had to put to sleep. It literally broke his heart and he grieved deeply for so long that even I was getting worried about him.  He had no energy, mopped and even quit his bike riding. 

Five year old Jacob immediately noticed and asked me what was wrong.  I told him about the loss of our cat and how my husband is so very sad right now and doesn't want to ride, or visit with his friends. 

Jacob listened intently then without a word, bolted home.

The next day, the door bell rang.  There was Jacob and his Mom with a huge plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies.  On top of that, Jacob had a huge construction paper card in his hand and a HUGE grin on his cute face.

They came in and Jacob's mom explained: "Jacob came home yesterday,  told me about your husband grieving over his lost cast.  Immediately, he wanted to do something immediately to cheer him up and asked me to help him -- only help! -- him make chocolate chip cookies with the extra big chunks.   He wanted to make them special for his friend!"  Jacob also asked his mom to write out a message of condolence about the cat on a piece of paper so he could copy in his own hand writing.   He drew a darling picture on the cover and my hubby and cat on the inside then signed his name.

I gave him a HUGE hug before he ran off  to find my husband and present his gift. We tactfully left them alone to talk.

After they left, I noticed tears in my husband's eyes.  Five year old Jacob's thoughtfulness and compassionate gesture left an unforgettable mark on his heart.