Mom discovers heartbreaking note before daughter’s birthday party: ‘I’m a crying mess’

A woman in Texas is breaking hearts across the internet after sharing the emotional note a stranger left for her at the grocery store.

Holly Grimet was picking up her daughter’s birthday cake at her local Kroger supermarket when the touching incident occurred. When the mom asked the bakery about her order, an employee told her it had been paid for by another woman.

“I said, ‘Oh really, did she know me?'” Grimet told Fox News. “[The employee] said, ‘No, but she left a note and we’ve all read it … You may not want to read it in here, you will cry.'”

That warning turned out to be correct. Grimet, who shared the note to her Facebook page on Feb. 22, said she was a “crying mess” after reading it.

“Ya’ll this stuff never happens to me. I walked into Kroger to pick up the girls’ cakes and cupcakes the sweet lady tells me your cake has been paid for and the lady who paid for it left a note,” Grimet wrote in her post.

In her note, the anonymous woman wrote that her son, named Nehemiah, would have been turning 8 years old that day but — as the message implies but doesn’t say directly — died before he got to celebrate.

“I want to remember my son by doing good to others,” the note continued. “I hope you enjoy your child’s cake and I hope your day is special. Hold your baby a little tighter today, watch them as they play, be patient with them, kiss their sweet little hand and tell them how much you love them. Our children are such beautiful gifts! I hope your day is beautiful. Much love from me and my angel in heaven to your family.”

The note had an immediate impact on Grimet, who wrote in her message that her daughter, Eva, had coincidentally just turned 8 years old. The mom told Fox News that she’d previously decided not to have a party for her daughter’s birthday, but was inspired by the stranger’s message.

“I didn’t want to throw a birthday party because there are so many expectations as a mom to have everything perfect and spend so much money, and celebrating the child gets lost in everything,” she said. “I reluctantly gave in and threw a last-minute party, and I was given a life lesson.”

Plenty of others seemed to feel the same way. Dozens of Facebook users have since commented on Grimet’s post, with many sharing kind thoughts and supportive words.

“I’m bawling like a baby!!” one user wrote. “Prayers for that sweet woman and she couldn’t have picked a better family to bless.”

“Happy Birthday Nehemiah and thank you for blessing our family today. May we never forget to slow down and kiss our babies and hug them extra. You have a very wonderful Mommy that is spreading love into the world for you,” another added.