Paying it forward has become a popular act of kindness from complete strangers for complete strangers. Whether it’s buying the coffee behind you in the morning drive-thru or buying another table’s meal at a restaurant, people everywhere are jumping on board.
Paying it forward can have even more meaning when it is done as an anonymous thank-you for someone who serves. A military mom discovered the meaning of paying it forward when another table picked up their check at a restaurant in late May.
Heather Almond’s son is in basic training at Fort Benning. It was family weekend at the base, so Almond, her daughter, and her mother paid the solider a visit.
The people at the other table had already left the restaurant, but they asked that Almond thank her son for his service. Almond’s son was wearing his army combat uniform so it was evident that he was a soldier from Fort Benning.
Earlier in the meal, Almond had snapped a photo of her son at the table. Not looking at it until the meal had already been paid for, Almond noticed something in the background.
A woman at the table that purchased their meal was captured on the right hand side of the photo. In a Facebook post, Almond said that she did not know the woman but she meant the world to her family.
Almond also mentioned that she intends to pay this act of kindness forward. To be honored and treated as a military family was a special moment for Almond, and she is hoping she can make others feel this way, too.
People on Facebook are commenting their own stories of paying it forward. Emily Bain said, “Our family loves to bless soldiers and first responders in this way. It’s small in comparison to what they mean to us!”
A woman’s actions showed Almond and her son just how much his service meant to her. This is a meal they will not soon forget.
