Around the holidays, we see many stories of complete strangers sharing and spreading goodwill and generosity. Anonymous gifts, huge tips, and kind acts are often inspired by the spirit of the holidays.
But these life-changing gestures are inspired by other reasons too. One customer left his family’s favorite waitress the tip of a lifetime after learning of her unfortunate circumstances. After hearing she was facing eviction, he left a $3,000 tip on a bill of $43.50.
Speaking under the condition of anonymity, he shared that what really moved him to act was his middle school science teacher and his non-profit work. That teacher was Richard Specht. In 2012, Richard and his wife Samantha suffered a tragic loss.
Richard was outside preparing their Long Island home for Hurricane Sandy, thinking the couple’s 22-month-old son Rees was safe inside the house. When he went back in, Rees wasn’t there. Sadly, the little boy had wandered outside and drowned in a backyard pond.
Within one day, the hurricane tore through the neighborhood, knocking out power for two weeks. In an interview with Today, the Spechts shared that it was in those hard moments they were touched by the community.
In the aftermath of their son’s death and the hurricane, people who they didn’t know pitched in, bringing them food and cleaning up their yard. When they tried to pay everyone back afterwards, no one would accept it.
That prompted the Spechts to start their non-profit, The Rees Specht Life Foundation. In the interest of paying it forward, the group aims to show kids and adults the importance of kindness. The foundation does toy drives, offers scholarships, meal delivery for families in need, and partners with schools to promote water safety and kindness to others.
The young man who left the huge tip for his server was thinking about Mr. Specht and his family ten years after being one of his students. When he decided to write that amount on the tip line, he left more than a big drop in the generosity bucket.
On the back of the receipt, he wrote this note:
“Thank you for your kindness and humility. My teacher in middle school had such a difficult experience a few years ago, which has sparked me to do this. My only requirements are:
1.) Go to ReesSpechtLife.com and learn!
2.) Don’t let “Pay it forward” end with you.
3.) Since it’s about the idea and not about you, or me, if you decide to share this, don’t use either of our names!
Thank you for being around for all of my shows on and off Broadway. I hope that someday someone gives as much love and happiness into the world as you do.”
The beauty of this story is that no one is really the center of it. It’s about community, sharing, and compassion. It’s remarkable how a chain of kindnesses was sparked from the loss of the Spechts’ little boy, and continues to stretch beyond their neighborhood in Long Island. The waitress reached out to the Spechts’ organization so she could do her part. Paying it forward indeed.
What are thoughts on this interconnected story? Were you ever on the receiving end of an unexpected act of kindness?
