Paying it forward after his mum struggled to raise two kids on her own

Sean took his son to a Chinese restaurant that they regularly go to, when he noticed a new waitress that reminded him of his mother.

When he was a young child, Sean’s parents had a heated argument which resulted in divorce and he, his mother and his brother being kicked out of home. His father had changed the locks and they had a police escort help them gather their things.

“The day my parents split up is forever etched in my mind,” he posted to Facebook. “I’ll never forget the cops handing me a black trash bag saying I had 10 minutes to take the necessities. I loaded up all the clothes I could fit into the bag, and that was the last time I ever stepped foot into the house I was raised in. No baseball trophies. None of my 10,000 baseball cards. None of my stuff.”

He now, 30 years later, has three children of his own and has developed a great amount of respect for his mother and the lengths she went to to give he and his brother the life they had.

“She did everything she could so that my brother and I had everything we ever wanted. But she worked man. Hard. Still to this day don’t know how she did it.”

The new waitress reminded him of his mother’s efforts, he could tell that she would rather be somewhere else but was working hard to provide for her kids.

“Over small talk and water refills, I got the sense that this single mom didn’t want to be there, but had to be there and she was doing her best to smile,” he wrote on Facebook, “It tore my heart out.”

“I thought of my mom, and I saw the same hustle in this woman that I saw in my mom. A single mom. Maybe by choice. Maybe not. But working on a Wednesday night to ensure she can put food on the table and shoes on the kids feet. Not for opulence. Not for status. But to live. To hopefully be able to provide the things for her kids that will put a smile on their face.”

He decided to do something special to surprise this waitress and lighten her load a little, for his $26 meal he tipped her $100.

“I kept thinking of my mom and how difficult it is for a single woman to go from home maker, to bread winner. I can’t even begin to understand what that must be like for some moms. I know my tip won’t pay her rent. I know my tip won’t pay for kids braces. I know my tip won’t keep the fridge full. But I hoped tonight in some way it might put a smile on her face, and she can go home to her babies happier than when she left them.”

“I felt tonight that maybe along the way someone did this for my mom, and that’s what kept her going on nights she wanted to quit.
I don’t know. I’ll likely never know. But I do know this. I have been blessed beyond measure, and my mother paved the way for my persistence. She showed me how to bounce back. She showed me what work and effort is. I hope this small gesture with my son tonight brightens this woman’s life so she can wake up tomorrow and fight a good fight.
Single moms who grind…. RESPECT. You are beautiful and your posterity will learn from your efforts. They are watching you. Just as I watched my mom. Mom I love you.
You are my hero.”

Have you ever made or received a random act of kindness?