Sometimes a small act of kindness is exactly what is needed to make someone’s entire life better. This story, which was inspired by the readers of AmoMama, is exactly that. Tayla was coming out from her boss’s office with her face hung low, and a heavy heart. She had been called in for the second time this week for silly mistakes that she had made!

As the week’s events flashed through her mind she couldn’t help but see how each situation had made her later, and the snowball effect that just caused so many other things to go wrong. There was no way to explain this to her boss without making her angrier. So, Talya just sat on the chair while her boss berated her over and over.

Talya had two children. Her first was Abbigail who was 15 years old and had all the typical signs of adolescence. Her second was Amy, who was only five years old. Amy was an anxious child who got nervous each morning before leaving for school. It all started when Tayla’s father, Tom, passed away about a year ago. Amy and her grandad had been close.

Abbigail had grown up and started hanging out with her friends on the weekends, so didn’t have time to visit her grandad anymore. The one-on-one time with her grandad allowed their bond to grow strong, but when Tom passed away due to heart difficulties, Amy was heartbroken. She had lost her best friend.

After the death of her grandfather, Amy developed separation anxiety. Talya knew that if they were patient, they would eventually cease. To prevent Amy from panicking, they made sure they arrived early at her school each afternoon so that she never had to wait. Tayla would race there frantically after work every day to make sure she was on time, if not early.

Today was one of those days that she needed to be extra early because it was raining buckets outside. This meant that everyone would be trying to fetch their child early so they didn’t have to stand in the rain. It was about a year that Tom had passed away. Her father had been her rock in life. So, this time of year was hard for her as many memories resurfaced and emotions ran high.

Tayla did not know how to explain to her boss that she had been feeling down because of the first anniversary of her father’s death. She had been so patient during the time of mourning. So, today, Tayla just took the blow (verbal, of course). She made a mental note to improve her work ethic drastically. The rest of the day, Tayla just kept her head down and concentrated on doing a good job.

She worked at a post office. Every day she processed the packages that people want to send to their loved ones, or whomever. Her mood had been set at the beginning of the day. Amy had a tantrum before leaving for school because she wanted to stay with her mommy. This was one of those perplexing arguments for Talya. Her initial instinct as a mother was to take her baby girl into her arms and cuddle on the sofa with her.

Tayla knew better though. They both had responsibilities. She had work. Amy had school. As the end of the day came, Tayla started counting the minutes. She so badly wanted to leave and fetch Amy so they could get home. The minutes dragged by until about five minutes to closing. Tayla had already prepared to close, in her eagerness to leave.

Just then, she saw an elderly man walking through the door with a package in his hand. She could not believe it, surely he does not intend to post it now, it’s so late already. The old man came up to Tyla at the counter and she tried to protest, saying that the post office was closed. He begged her to let him post the parcel.

He had walked four or five hours in the rain because no taxis would take him and the bus routes had been diverted. Amy was exhausted, but she decided to help him quickly. She handed the document he needed to fill in, and she took the parcel in to weigh it. When she came back to the document, she saw how terrible the man’s handwriting was, she could not make out a single word.

Irritated, she gave him another, but the same thing happened. She snapped at him after the third ruined document and looked at the time. Deeply frustrated now, she called her husband to explain that she is being held back at work by a customer, and he must go to fetch Amy. When she got back to the old man, she saw him sigh and put the pen down.

As he moved, she could not help but notice the tell-tale outline of a pacemaker underneath his shirt. She instantly felt bad for being so impatient. Her father also had a pacemaker, so she knew how debilitating life can seem to the wearer. She went up to the counter with a soft expression on her face.

He apologized for wasting her time and promised to return on Monday because she had a family that needed her. Tayla put her hand on his shoulder and assured him that everything was fine because her husband was there to help. She asked him for the specifics and filled in the document herself, reaching for a new document and pulling out a pen.

She discovered the parcel was for his daughter’s 50th birthday, as they were the same age. He had hoped that the package would arrive on her real birthday because he was too elderly to ride the bus to see her. Tayla’s heart plummeted; she knew the gift would come two days after her birthday because the same-day deliveries had already been made.

She paused for a time, her gaze fixed on the man’s face. She knew his daughter lived around two hours away by automobile after reading the address. She understood exactly what she had to do. So she reached inside her backpack and took out her car keys. She asked the man to accompany her. When he inquired why she said that the only way to get her daughter’s present there on time was for him to deliver it himself, and she would drive him there.

The man couldn’t believe her generosity. He hadn’t seen his daughter in a long time because of her hectic schedule. When they arrived at his house, his daughter greeted them with the most joyful grin on her face. They hugged for almost fifteen minutes, and then his daughter hugged Tayla.

They were ushered inside the house, where they shared a magnificent feast. Tayla couldn’t help but sense her father with her, as if by assisting this elderly guy in connecting with his daughter, she would be able to connect with her dad in paradise. The elderly gentleman consented to stay for the remainder of the weekend, and his daughter agreed to drive him home on Sunday. Tayla shared contact information with the two before returning home to her own family, telling them that if they needed anything, they should just phone.