Your View

Kindness noted

I am writing this letter to tell you about an incident that occurred while we were in Sikeston visiting my wife's family this past weekend. We live in Springfield and will be returning home this week, but I can assure you that we will be taking something home with us when we leave.

Saturday we stopped at Kirby's to have lunch. While we were there, we witnessed a simple act of kindness that touched us and one that we will take home and use in our own community. There were four firefighters eating lunch at a table near ours. When they got ready to leave, they asked for their check and was told by the waitress that it had been paid by a family sitting at another table. You could tell they were stunned. One of the firemen walked over to the family and said, "Thank you. That was very kind." I heard the response. "No, we want to thank you. We often forget to say that. How sad that it took a national tragedy to make us realize how grateful we are for you."

My wife and I were deeply touched. I asked my sister-in-law if she knew this family and she told us yes, that she knew them, and went on to tell us how they have always served as good role models in your community. If I mentioned the things my sister-in-law told me about this family, I am sure you would know them and their act of kindness would be public instead of something they did just because they wanted to privately say thank you. I am writing this letter to let you know that I am taking this simple gesture of kindness home with me and will use it to say "thank you" to the firefighters in our community.

Sincerely,

L.T. Moore