39-year-old Tracy Warshal was on an everyday grocery run to Aldi last December when she saw that the man behind her was struggling to find his wallet.
After patting down all of his pockets, he realized he must have forgotten it. Seeing he only had a few items, Tracy immediately offered to pay for the $7 bill.
She didn’t see it as a big deal or even as some great act of kindness. She said “anybody would have done it” and called the act “instinctual.”
After all, the man had maybe 3 items, so Tracy was certainly not expecting a grand gesture in return for such a small contribution—but boy was she WRONG.
The man thanked her and asked for her name. They parted ways after Tracy gave him her first name and they exchanged a warm “Merry Christmas.”
After a quick glance at her t-shirt, he walked away.
Little did she know, her first name and the logo on her t-shirt were the only things this guy needed to give her the payback she NEVER expected in a million years.
Later in January, Tracy was notified that the man had made a $10,000 donation in her name to The Piedmont Foundation. She is a scheduling coordinator for the Piedmont Cancer Institute and just so happened to be wearing her Piedmont shirt the day she went to Aldi.
The man got in contact with Piedmont Healthcare’s Vice President of Philanthropy, Mendal Bouknight, to make it happen. Though he desired to stay anonymous, he told Bouknight that he wanted to thank her for the kindness she showed him that day.
“Tracy is an angel and proof that kindness and compassion are always inside you,” said Bouknight.
Tracy has not seen or interacted with the beautiful stranger who so graciously blessed her, but she said, “I completely respect the fact that he would like to remain anonymous.”
“Of course, I would like to give him a hug and say thank you,” she added.
It turns out, the man was a major donor for Piedmont in the past, but Tracy gave him an extra special reason to give to the foundation.
Tracy is still totally overwhelmed by the man’s lavish gesture and the media attention swarming it, but she says she hopes it acts as a “reminder to people that really the little things are what matters the most.”
“I’m just excited that one small little gesture made a huge difference and impact on a lot of people,” she said. “I hope it makes people think twice about doing something small to somebody. Even a smile or compliment goes a long way these days.”
This is certainly a powerful reminder of the “cheerful giver” that God calls us to be in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7: “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
