On September 10, 2014, user gingersnap1316 uploaded a photo on Imgur with an incredible story to tell. She entitled her post "I'm speechless…," and it's easy to see why.
The unnamed woman was awoken by a knock on the door. Little did she know that she was in for the shock of a lifetime. She looked through her peephole and saw an elderly man standing there, a man she had never seen before.
She thought that maybe he was a salesman.
But then the stranger asked for Karen — the woman's mother.
When she opened the door and told the man her mother wasn't home, he flashed her a quick smile, handed her an envelope and promptly walked away.
The woman opened the mysterious envelope, then fell to the floor when she realized what was inside. By the time she ran back out of her apartment to find the man, he had already disappeared…
In September 2014, Imgur user "gingersnap1316" posted the following story online, where it quickly went viral.
This morning I was woken up by someone trying to get me to buzz them into the building.
I ignored the first two buzzers hoping they would go away but the third got me up.
I buzzed them in (we don't have a working intercom so I couldn't ask who they were).
Then I stood there waiting looking out the peep hole of the door.
An older gentleman gets to my door and knocks…
I opened asking if I could help him and all he said was, "Are you Karen?"
I told him no, that Karen was my mom and he gave a quick smile and handed me an unmarked envelope and walked away.
I get inside and open it up.
"Please accept this gift as an act of random kindness. A cherished member of our family devoted much of her time and resources to helping people through ‘Random Acts Of Kindness’. She gave to others in many ways, and always did so anonymously. One way our family has chosen to honor her memory is to continue in the tradition of helping others in the community with acts of random kindness.
A ‘Random Act Of Kindness’ does not have to involve the giving of money. It can be as simple as sharing your time with someone, lending an ear, or offering a compliment. The most important part is that the act is unsolicited and done with no expectation of anything in return.
Although we do not know you personally, other members of our community identified you as a deserving recipient of this gift. Please use this money in any way you see fit, whether to alleviate some financial strain or to provide you the opportunity to do something special for yourself.
We ask for nothing in return, but hope that you are encouraged to consider ways in which you can make a difference for someone else, and motivated to embrace the idea, and to carry on the tradition."
The second I saw the money I sat on the floor. $1,000 from a stranger. I have no clue who the man was and he was gone by the time I got outside.
I called my mom and told her to sit down and read her the letter… she started bawling instantly.
My mom has been battling ovarian cancer for three years now. It has been a very long difficult journey mentally, physically, and financially.
However, this helps more than the giver knows.
They have taken some of that stress away and also given my mom hope and a reason to smile.
So, thank you. Thank you with everything in me and also for for carrying on such an amazing tradition.
Did the anonymous gift-giver know of Karen's diagnosis, or was it fate that brought her the much-needed and unexpected money? We may never know, but one thing's for sure — this is an incredible story of kindness and faith. If you agree, please SHARE this with your friends on Facebook!
