An Act Of Kindness Can Lift One’s Spirit
This reader-submitted story includes a phone call, a candy, a friend in need and a moment of generosity in Bergen County.
Many new year’s resolutions are tough to start, and some are even more challenging to maintain throughout the year. Showing more kindness toward others, however, is something everyone can do—and it isn’t difficult. “Being kind creates the world we want to live in,” Paramus-based psychotherapist Stephen Oreski, L.C.S.W., tells BERGEN. “And physiologically, smiling—whether you’re doing it or whoever is the recipient of your kindness—makes us feel better.”
Below is a story shared by a BERGEN reader that demonstrates kindness and is sure to make you smile:
The day had already been hard on Jodie Gold. A Philadelphia native, she was driving home to Pennsylvania from Long Island after attending a relative’s funeral.
It was pouring rain. The car ride would take nearly three hours. With this in mind, Gold dialed her sister-in-law, Beryl, to check in with her.
Beryl, a Hillsdale resident, is battling cancer. Gold caught her just as she was returning home from chemotherapy and in a great deal of discomfort from the side effects.
Her doctor suggested sour lemon drops to help with the pain. However, Beryl informed Gold that her husband had already checked every store and supermarket in the area and was coming up empty. No one seemed to have the candies in stock.
With hours left in her drive, Gold took to Google and found Westwood Candy Company & Gift Shoppe. It was 4:55 p.m. when she called the store and spoke with Kim, the store’s owner, who listened to Gold explain the situation.
Not only did they have the lemon drops in stock, they had two different kinds.
Gold asked if Kim would be willing to keep the shop open just a little while longer, so Beryl’s husband could swing by and pick the candies up.
Immediately, Kim apologized. That wasn’t possible today, as she needed to leave and bring her mother to the airport. But then she offered another solution, simple in its execution but extraordinary in its kindness: She could make sure the candies were delivered straight to Beryl’s house.
Anthony, Kim’s husband, nearly beat Beryl’s husband back home. He handed over not only the lemon drops, but a handwritten note—“Beryl, we hope these help.”
When Gold reached out the next day to pay for the candies, Kim told her they were on the house.
There is one more thread in this story of connection. Gold got in touch with nearby florist Tyrrells Flowers and Gifts, also in Westwood, looking for a way to thank Kim for her service. She spoke to the manager, Lisa, on the phone, and recounted her story.
Lisa walked a bouquet over to Westwood Candy Company and Gift Shoppe on her lunch break, with no delivery fee.
We are proud of our BERGEN community for pulling together to help out those in need. We wish Beryl a complete recovery.
Do you have stories of random acts of kindness to share? Has a stranger ever aided you or changed your life? Tell us on Instagram @bergenmagnj.
