Many of us know that sinking feeling when you go to pay a bill with your credit card only to have it declined. But how often does an unexpected blessing happen at the same time?
Zach Bowen, 19, is the proud owner of a 2006 Ford Taurus. When it started having problems, he took it to West Omaha Auto Service to have it looked at one fall day in 2016.
He returned to the family auto business when the repairs were finished, and to his dismay, the costs were more than he had anticipated. Paying with his credit card proved fruitless, as the card wasn’t accepted in the machine.
The auto service manager, Anthony Oxtal, was sympathetic. Seeing it was the weekend coming up, he suggested Zach drive his car home, and they could take care of the payment the following Monday.
Monday morning came, and when the manager opened shop, he found a note left in the key drop box.
It turned out that on the previous Friday when Zach was trying to pay his bill with a credit card, another customer had witnessed the young man unable to make the payment, and the note left there was attached to a $200 donation towards his car repairs.
When his mother, Sherry, called the shop on Monday to make the payment for her son, she was told about the donation, and the stranger’s kindness left her in tears.
Zach was astounded at the couple’s generosity.
“You guys are a prime example that there is still kindness in this world,” Zach told KMTV. “It really touched me, and now I’m eternally grateful.”
“I’m definitely going to frame this envelope,” he added.
The couple’s act of kindness left an impression on Sherry, who plans to continue the spirit of giving.
“I definitely want to pay it forward for someone else, so that it keeps on going,” said Sherry.
Indeed, kindness goes a long way.
In another instance, five EMTs were brought to a teary-eyed surprise when they discovered that their meal was paid for.
During the wee hours of July 20, 2018, a team of volunteers was having a meal at IHOP in Toms River, New Jersey. The group learned that an anonymous woman had paid their entire US$77 bill and left a heartfelt note.
The note read, “Paid, thank you for all you do! Have a great day!” and signed “Recovering addict.”
The grateful first aid staff also mentioned how “blessed [they were] to be able to serve you and everyone else who lives and works in the greater Toms River area.”
After this surprising incident, the squad shared a photo of the warm note on their Facebook page in the hope of finding the kindhearted stranger, who paid for all the five meals that night.
Though the stranger still remains a mystery, this story is yet another example of how human values and virtues are still not lost—indeed, there is still hope for humanity.
