a wonderful thing happened recently.  I was accompanying an older relative to a tea shop were we had the most lovely lunch.  The shop was warm and welcoming and real tea in Santa festooned tea pots played well with the festive decorations and the warm smile of our waitress.

As I went to pay our bill I chatted to the lady at the till and told her how impressed I was with the tea shop.  I said ‘it was just how I would want a cafe of mine to be, wonderful!’  She replied that I must return soon, and I had to tell her that I live many miles away and was just up visiting my relative, who lived close by.  ‘Well she must come again then’ said my cheery new friend.  I had to explain that my relative is isolated and cannot go out alone, so this might be difficult, but thanked her for us having a lovely lunch today.

Back at our table we were gathering our things together to go back to the car in the wind and rain when the lady from the till appeared, pen and paper in hand.  She turned to my relative and said ‘you are exactly the type of person I want in my tea shop, you really must come often’ as we began to reply she said ‘so if I can have your name and phone number, one of my girls will pop and pick you up, you can come and sit near the counter and chat to us and enjoy our tea’

My eyes filled up.  This woman had understood in a heartbeat how to help. There was no pity in her tone, just matter of fact, wanting to fill her tea shop with nice people.  My relative pulled herself up straight as she gave her details, I think she said thank you, I wasn’t paying too much attention as my eyes had started leaking!!

The kindness of strangers, it can change the world for someone.