When faced with a challenging situation in life, being kind might not always help, but it certainly never hurts.
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On a recent flight to Tampa, Florida, Wesley Thomas of Sachse, Texas, was traveling with his extended family when he witnessed compassion in its purest form. Wesley’s young niece had started complaining and acting out, and anyone who has ever flown with a young child can tell you that this is an incredibly uncomfortable situation for both the parents and the surrounding passengers.
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As Wesley’s family tried to soothe the fussy child, a man with gray hair headed towards them down the plane’s aisle. Wesley inwardly braced himself, because his first thought was that the man was coming to scold the family for having a noisy child; instead, the man surprised them all by offering a simple solution.
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“Would she like to draw?” He asked as he pulled out a tablet from the overhead bin. “I have four daughters,” he explained affectionately.
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The man had clearly been in the same shoes as these parents, so instead of criticizing or judging them, he offered a helping hand. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if more people acted this way?
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As the child began to happily draw on the large tablet, Wesley was struck by the charmed expression on the man’s face. He seemed to be taking a great amount of joy in watching the little girl draw, and in knowing that he’d done something kind for a family who needed a helping hand in that moment.
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Later that day, Wesley shared this story on Twitter, where the reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
On route to Tampa, and this man noticed my niece starting to fuss. He turned to what we thought would be a scolding, but says “would she like to draw?” He pulls out a tablet from the overhead bin and hands it to her. “I have 4 daughters 😊” he said. Y’all, look at his face. 💕 pic.twitter.com/dVqo9g1B8H
— Wesley Thomas ✭ (@wealthymoses) May 19, 2018
Best yet, through the power of the internet, Wesley was able to reconnect with the man who’d saved the day at 30,000 feet. His name is Tim Lindblom and he lives in the Tampa, Florida area.
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When Tim saw Wesley’s post, he responded with the sweetest words of wisdom.
You’ve humbled me by tweeting this… I was just sharing love as I was taught by my parents. Always remember, we can change the world one small act of kindness at a time. Bless your family!
— Tim Lindblom (@TimGulfcoast) May 21, 2018
Later, Tim shared more thoughts about what it means to show kindness, and how being compassionate towards our fellow human beings makes the whole world a nice place to be. After all, acts of kindness benefit not just those who receive them, but those who bestow them as well.
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Tim is truly a shining example of the sort of person we all hope to be, not to mention the kind of person we’d hope to be seated next to on our next flight!
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