The Reason This Little Girl Followed Another Mom Around Walmart Will Break Your Heart
A mom at Walmart says a stranger gave her a touching note
For most parents, the grocery store is the last place we’d expect to make a meaningful connection with a stranger. We’re usually busy wrangling tantruming toddlers in the cereal aisle or trying to remember where we put that random diaper coupon we got in the mail three weeks ago. Precious moments don’t often happen in the freezer section, and that’s why one woman was so stunned when a young girl gave her an unexpected note telling her what a great job she’s doing as a mom.
In an anonymous post on a site called Spotted In Windsor, a Canadian mom writes that she was shopping at Walmart with her daughters and having silly little chats to pass the time, just like we all do when we’re tying to keep our kids occupied. She writes:
“We were joking about how quickly we can shovel the snow if it snowed a lot this week. We talked about what I was going to make for dinner today and joked about how we pick the person who is going to have to do dishes… just other random conversations as we typically do to make it fun while we shop.”
Little did this mom know, a father and daughter were listening in on her conversations with her kids and enjoying her random musings. She paid for her groceries and headed towards the exit, and that’s when she noticed the man and his daughter approaching her.
“After we paid for our stuff and made our way towards the exit this man who was standing there with his daughter stopped me and his daughter handed me an envelope. I asked what this was for and they said ‘it’s a gift just because and we would like it if you accepted it. There is a note inside explaining why.’ His daughter asked if she could hug me and I said yes so she did and I felt such a warm hug. We said bye and went on our way. [sic]”
The mom made her way into the parking lot and got everything loaded into the car. Then, she finally opened up the envelope and found a gift card and a note from the stranger’s daughter inside:
“It said ‘just listening to you talk to your daughters reminded me of my mother who I lost 2 years ago. I made my dad follow you around for a little so I can hear you guys talk because I wanted to pretend that it was my mom talking to me. Please accept this gift card of $20 just because you made our day. Have a great Sunday and thank you. [sic]'”
The mom writes that she burst into tears, not only because of the girl’s heartbreaking story, but also because she was so full of gratitude for the reminder that she’s doing right by her kids. “I do not think you know what you have given me,” she wrote. “You just assured me that I am a great mother even though sometimes every parent questions themselves. You also showed me how amazing people are in my city and how glad I am to be able to feel the hugs of my daughters.”
We don’t often think of a simple conversation or a mundane trip to the store as anything meaningful, but this girl’s note is a reminder that even the smallest interactions with our kids are an incredible gift. We may not think we’re doing anything special, but even little, routine moments can have an immeasurable impact on not only their lives, but also on the people around us. You never know who might be inspired by something you do, and it’s a rare gift when someone takes the time to let you know you’ve made a difference in their life.
