A woman shared a cruel note that was left in her mailbox. She never imagined the kindness that would

[demmiblue]

CNN)Randa Ragland opened her mailbox in late July to find a letter from a neighbor, with no return address and no name.

Just words -- hurtful ones.

The letter accused Ragland of not caring about her Pinson, Alabama, home.

"Your eyesore is affecting the resale value of OUR homes," it said. "Do better!!!"

...

She had never met Ragland, but Quick started a Facebook page in Jaxen's honor to help organize volunteers and donations.

Ragland's lawn was mowed. A man with a chainsaw showed up to remove debris from the yard. Others went to the store to pick up supplies for the family. Some pitched in to tidy up her home.



"This is love," one of the volunteers, Joey Harding, told CNN affiliate WIAT. "This is love for a stranger."

Just two weeks earlier, on July 25, Harding lost his 6-year-old daughter, LuLu, to the same cancer that Jaxen is fighting. LuLu and Jaxen had gotten to know each other during treatment.

Harding told WIAT that helping another family in need is helping him cope with losing his daughter.

When he arrived at Ragland's house, he gave her one of the rocks that were like LuLu's safety blankets. This one was painted green with black hearts and the word "strength." Ragland burst into tears.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/06/us/nasty-note-neighbor-trnd/index.html

[marble falls]

1. If they give themselves the chance, people will almost always do the right thing.

[malaise]

2. THIS

[demmiblue]

3. Yep. In this day and age, it is important to remember this.

[Pacifist Patriot]

11. Yep. I'm in a cast right now and getting around clumsily on crutches or a scooter.

I have lost count of the kind gestures from complete strangers. It's gotten kind of funny. I can see the instant my situation registers on their faces. It's kind of cool really. People go from obliviously going about their day to recognizing someone around them may need assistance. The blankest hardest faces go to soft and smiling in an instant. That's the tragedy of invisible pain. My cast is easy to spot. Too bad we can't go through life recognizing that everyone around us may need assistance of some kind.

[marble falls]

12. Empathy empowers love.

[Pacifist Patriot]

4. This is one lesson I have always tried to instill in my children.

Don't ever assume you know what someone else is thinking or experiencing or ascribe motives when they are unknown to you.

About ten years ago, I was out walking in our neighborhood and one of my boys (about 6 at the time?) commented that a yard looked like it hadn't been cut or weeded in months. He asked why someone would neglect their yard like that and make the rest of the neighborhood look bad. On a whim, I said "let's find out." So I took a deep breath and rang the door bell. I was just about to leave when the door was opened by a very elderly man. I asked if he would like some help with his yard. He stood there with his mouth hanging open for what felt like ages. Then he just nodded. I told him I had a yard service coming on Friday and would ask them to come do his yard too. He whispered "thank you" and shut the door.

My yard guys are awesome. When I explained the situation they jumped on it and didn't charge a penny.

I honestly forgot about it until I got a card in the mail about six months or so later. Turns out the man's wife had died a few months before I rang the doorbell, the family (lived in Oregon - I'm in Florida) was trying to get him to agree to move to an assisted living facility near them and he was having none of it.

He died four months after I had rung his doorbell. The family got my name and address because, unbeknownst to me, the yard crew had kept doing the man's yard regularly at no charge. His son spotted them when he was packing up the house, asked what they were doing, and then asked for my contact info.

I'm not sharing this for kudos. In fact, I'm pretty ashamed about my role in this story. I never went back to check on him. My "busy" life as a mom to three boys and a full-time job consumed me and it didn't occur to me to befriend the man when he could have really used one. I felt like a complete shit when I got the letter to be honest.

My yard guys are the heroes here. They didn't stop helping until they weren't needed anymore.

So. Long way to say, I love this story and it is a very powerful reminder that we all need to stop making assumptions and just ask. Thanks for the lift this morning!

[Butterflylady]

5. Just tears. That's all!

[babylonsister]

7. Awww, your story touched my heart, too, and what a lesson

for your son(s)!

[demmiblue]

8. Thank you for sharing this, Pacifist Patriot!

[LibDemAlways]

10. You just never know the difference that

a small act of kindness can make. I still remember hobbling along on crutches with a broken ankle and my foot in a cast up to my knee while trying to keep my then 3 year old in tow. I was sitting on a bench outside her preschool when another mom came by, asked how I was doing, and volunteered to help with anything I needed. Just her simple act of reaching out and caring meant the world to me at a particularly low point in my life. That was 23 years ago, and I remember it like it was yesterday. You and your son were the impetus for getting that man's yard cleaned up. You made a difference. Thanks for sharing.

[donkeypoofed]

6. I burst I to tears reading this! We humans CAN be good to each other!

[SunSeeker]

9. Damn

My eyes are leaking...