Capturing a random act of kindness

COEUR d'ALENE - Valeri Glauser and her 9-year-old son, Carter, witnessed something extraordinary last week - a moment of kindness which left a lasting impression on their hearts and minds.

The mom and son, of Coeur d'Alene, saw three young people pray with a homeless person at the Ironwood Shopping Center. Valeri saw the teens approach the man, who was clad in dirty, ragged clothes, as she walked into the store. She slowed her pace because she wasn't sure what they were doing.

"My radar immediately went on that this could be a bad thing, that they perhaps were going to harass the homeless man," she said.

Then, the unexpected happened.

She saw a young lady in the group bend down to speak to the man, who was sitting on the cold concrete in a corner between businesses.

"She said very softly to the man, 'Are you OK?'" Valeri said.

Valeri went into the store, somewhat relieved, while her son remained in the car. When she emerged, the three teens and the man were all standing. The youths had their arms around him and hands on his shoulders and they were praying.

"It just emotionally hits me, to tell this story," Valeri said.

She quietly slipped into her vehicle and used her phone to snap a photo of the kindhearted youths, who had no idea she was there.

"I said, 'Carter, did you see what happened?' and he said, 'Isn't that nice?'" she said. Carter had shared her initial concern for the man as the teens surrounded him.

"Here this 9-year-old is in a car and he was worried for this man," Valeri said. "That's like, wow, right there, that really touched him and he's just 9. He got to see something like that, and I don't think he'll ever forget that."

Valeri never got their names, just a photo, but she hopes those youths know how they made a difference in more than just one person's life that day. She said she would like to give them kudos for embracing someone they probably didn't know and giving him a warm hug and a thoughtful prayer.

"We tend to expect the worst in people, but if we look closer, there are still so many small acts of kindness that go unnoticed," she said. "We just need to take the time to see them."