KINDNESS: Eases the sorrow

Christmas Eve day was not a great day for me, having to face the death of my beloved pet of 16 years. I stopped at the Riverstone Starbucks drive through for a hot drink. When I got to the pickup window, the server told me that the car ahead of me paid for my coffee and to have a Merry Christmas.

I thought I’d been holding things together under the circumstances and was thinking about my cat, and I just lost it when she said that to me and handed me the coffee. That was such a beautiful act of kindness from a total stranger in the moment I needed it most. Thank you — whomever you are — and I will definitely pay it forward the next time I’m out and about.

You just never know what kind of a day someone is having and a simple act of kindness may just make their day a little brighter. (Just so you know, I did hold it together long enough to tip the server before I drove off and bawled like a baby…)

VICTORIA WILLIAMSON

Coeur d’Alene