3 Heartwarming Stories That Show How Friends & Strangers Can Lift Us in Our Darkest Moments

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A Bag of Kindness: How a Stranger’s Gesture Helped Me Through My Darkest Days

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“When I was at university, I struggled with my mental health. One of the most acute spikes of anxiety and depression coincided with exam season. In the midst of this crisis, I volunteered at a local charity shop. When I started my shift one of my fellow volunteers presented me with an entire bag of home-cooked meals, enough to last me a week, ‘so you have one less thing to worry about’. It remains the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me. The food was delicious, and I ended up doing well in my exams, too.”

— Declan

A Friend’s Gift of Courage: The Lion That Eased My Fears

“I’m currently going through cancer treatment, and things are very uncertain. With too much time on my hands, I have sometimes felt very lost in frightening thoughts. I mentioned to a friend that I was running out of courage. A parcel arrived with a beautiful soft toy lion inside, with a message: ‘Here’s some extra courage for you.’ I sleep with the lion – if I am wakeful in the night, this little toy soothes me but also connects me to the loving support of my friend.”

— Leigh

A Welcome I’ll Never Forget: How a Friend’s Simple Gesture Filled My Heart

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“I have travelled frequently on my own, but since my father passed away, I’ve never had a friend or partner meet me at the airport at my final destination. I mentioned it once to a friend, then thought no more of it. Over a year later I went to meet her in India, and she surprised me at the airport with flowers and a silly welcome sign. Such a simple gesture but it meant so much.”

— Lilly

Source: The Guardian, “12 little acts of kindness: what friends and strangers did for each other in their hour of need” by Abigail Radnor