A thoughtful stranger's gesture for a father in need is reminding the world of the power of kindness.
A story submitted to the Love What Matters Facebook page recounts what happened when a father went to check in on his flight with his toddler daughter in tow.
"The agent asked how old his daughter was," the post's author shares. "He said she had recently turned two. The agent then asked if she had a ticket."
What followed was a moment of confusion - and panic. The man, who was under the impression that his little girl could ride for free, was "hit with emotion". Although he had made the booking when she was one, the man's daughter had turned two in January. And she needed her own ticket to fly.
"He mentioned he couldn't afford to re-book this flight or get her the ticket with such short notice," the post continues, adding that the distressed father stepped aside to make some phone calls.
"Hugging his daughter and grabbing his head, you could tell he was heartbroken," the author explains.
As he attempted to solve the unexpected - and incredibly stressful - problem, a woman, who had overheard the dad's exchange at the check-in desk, approached him.
"She walked over to him and asked what was wrong," the author continues. "After they talked for a bit they walked up to the counter together."
And that's when the kind stranger offered to cover the little girl's fare.
"I wanna buy her ticket," she said.
The agent double-checked that the women understood just how much the fare was.
"You know how much this ticket costs right?" she asked.
"$700 something?" the woman responded.
"$749," the agent said.
Undeterred, the woman paid for the ticket with her credit card.
The author of the post, who observed the act of kindness, shared that he simply told her, "God bless you!"
"The agent kept talking about her goosebumps," the post continued, "while the man hugged the woman and asked for her name to repay her."
But she wouldn't hear of it.
"Don't worry about it," she told the grateful father.
The beautiful good news story has since gone viral - shared over 25,000 times.
One commenter, who recognised the woman in the photo, expressed that the good Samaritan is an inspiration to her and to others who know her.
"I won't share who this lady is," she wrote. "But I do know her. I asked her once what I could do each day to be successful. Her respond surprised me. She said each day have reflection time, make a list and don't leave your desk before the 10 most important things are done and always give gratitude daily. I know her family, kids and grandkids get together frequently to discuss how they can use the abundance and blessings they get to serve and give back to others."
Describing the woman as a person who is "constantly giving freely", the commenter added, "she is so full of love for everyone and does what is needed without being asked."
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