In Fort Worth, Texas, a father was moved to tears when a stranger covered his family’s breakfast bill and left an emotional message on the receipt5. Dr. J. Mack Slaughter, was having breakfast with his wife and three children at Mimi’s Cafe when a secret admirer acknowledged him. As they prepared to pay, the waitress informed Slaughter that a stranger had already paid their $85 bill. He was surprised to find a handwritten note on the receipt that read, “Thank you for being a great dad”.
Flipping the receipt over, Slaughter discovered another message from the stranger: “From a dad to dad. Thank you for being the dad they need you to be regardless of who’s watching. We need more men like you. Thank you for letting us all see your love for them all,” and was signed by a retired Army medic.
Slaughter told SWNS.com, that he immediately teared up, unable to control his emotions. He noted that the act of kindness was especially impactful because the stranger was gone, so it was “just pure kindness”. Slaughter, an emergency room physician, had been simply playing a dot game with his children and was unaware of being observed.
He stated that this act of kindness reminded him that “complete strangers can do miraculous, beautiful things when you least expect it,” and that it restored his faith in people. He also noted that the $85 was so much more to him than the stranger probably realized, and that such random acts of kindness are powerful reminders that there is still good in the world