A few years ago I, together with my wife and our three small girls, were on holiday in Cyprus. The hotel was 5 star and pretty expensive and the guests in the main were middle aged and were quite well off with bank balances that could easily afford the high prices. They were not the crowd which I usually hang around with but luckily there was a large Welsh guy, Terry, with his two children who we spent time with and shared a few beers together.

One member of the bar staff was a shy young Romanian girl, I guess about seventeen. She came from a very poor background and sent most of her slim monthly wage home to support her mother and younger brother.
Most of the guests treated her as a servant, hardly wasting a word on her. But my wife, Terry and I, went out of our way to talk and share a laugh with her.

One lunch time I noticed she was very red eyed so it was obvious to us that she had been crying. After some persuading she told us that she had left her purse on the bus to work that morning and as she had just been paid she had lost most of her month’s wages.

Later over a beer the Terry asked.
“What do you think John?
“About Niomi?
“Yeah”
“We’ve got to make it up for her”
“That’s what I thought, fifty fifty?
“Of course”
“Right and we’ll take a hat around for her this evening”
“Don’t think you will get much from that crowd”
He smiled “Wait and see”.

We borrowed a couple of hats and filled them with cash. For some reason wallets and purses were freely opened and of course we were very polite, though it’s true Terry had muscles on muscles and I am not a small guy myself but I would like to put the amount we raised down to the guest’s wonderful generosity.

Terry went down town and bought a purse for Niomi, far better than the cheap one she had lost and to see her dissolve in floods of tears when we gave it to her is the one thing I most remember from that holiday.

It truly is better to give than receive.

Beautiful story of unselfishness. Thank you much for sharing.

The joy of doing something good for others far surpasses anything. A reminder to keep doing 'random acts of kindness'.

Thanks Cari, that was heartwarming.

Thanks for sharing Cari. An act of kindness Niomi will never forget!

Very nice Cari. She will remember this always.

Cari

I am absolutely sure all of you would have done what we did in the same circumstances. The hotel management offered to advance Naomi half her next months wages but that was hardly a solution for her as it would have meant she would have been on half pay for two months, I think considering the circumstances they could have done better, but we collected three or four months wages for her so it all worked out happily in the end.

Thank you for reading this little story and for your comments, yes it puts a smile on your face when you can really make a difference doesn’t it?

Beautiful story Cari. The hard part for me would have been passing the hat. To me, that makes this story especially wonderful. And what a pleasant surprise to find the reaction of the other guests.

To you and your wife Cari.