A kind stranger bought a busy mom of four a pumpkin spice candle — and it meant so much more than he knew
If you love a good pay-it-forward story, then you’re in luck. A stranger just bought a mom a candle at Target, and his kindness meant so much more than he knew.
The mom of four, Erin Bennett, lives in Bristow, VA. On Wednesday, she took her two youngest kids to Target with her. In addition to getting the items on her shopping list, Bennett added some makeup and a nice pumpkin-scented candle to the mix. However, at checkout, she realized she was over her budget. So she the cashier to put the bonus items back.
Then, the beautiful pay-it-forward moment happened.
A stranger offered to buy the items Bennett set aside. They had been talking in line beforehand.
“I had told him I felt so bad he only had one item because I had a cart full of kids and groceries,” Bennett told People. “But he didn’t mind.”
When he wanted to buy the extra items for Bennett, she said she couldn’t let him do so. But he insisted. “‘You deserve something for yourself,'” Bennett recalled him saying. “Then the cashier grabbed the items and let the man swipe his card before I could say no again.”
Bennett started tearing up. With her 5-month-old strapped to her chest, she went to hug the man.
“I’m going to give you a squishy baby hug. Is that okay?” Bennett said to the man, she told People.
Posted by Erin Bennett on Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Not only was the pay-it-forward moment amazing, but it had even deeper value for Bennett, too.
“I was diagnosed with postpartum when my second child was 7 months old,” Bennett continued. “My doctor mentioned making sure to take a little time for myself to do something nice for myself — like making sure I get my shower every evening, alone without a kid with me. And I like to use scent, I’m huge on scent, it totally boosts my mood.”
So now we add that pumpkin spice candle to the picture, and we are in tears. Bennett wrote this Facebook post, hoping to find him.
To the man in line behind me at the Gainesville Target, who saw that after hitting my grocery budget limit I decided to...
Posted by Erin Bennett on Wednesday, October 11, 2017
In part, the post reads:
“…You didn’t know that I always save my stuff for last and usually end up putting it back. You didn’t know that the two fussy kids I had with me, were only two out of four. You didn’t know that I have postpartum depression from the youngest baby and that I use scent as a way to boost my mood. You saw me as human, not just the mom in front of you that was distracted and going way too slow…”
Of course, people on Facebook shared the post far and wide. As of this writing, it’s gotten more than 9,000 reactions and more than 2,900 shares. To date, Bennett hasn’t been able to find the man, whom she describes as an older gentleman with grey hair and a grey beard.
“You Sir, are the good in the world. You made my day, probably my week, and I WILL pay it forward. Thank you so much for your kind heart and words,” Bennett wrote on Facebook.
Not only is Bennett’s story a heartwarming one, but also a great reminder that kind hearts and words do go a long way.
