A Killylea mum, who was left overwhelmed by a stranger’s random act of kindness in an Armagh restaurant, says she has been inspired to pay the generosity forward.
Linda-Jane Murray, who has seven children – three of whom have rare genetic disorders – was out enjoying a nice breakfast with her daughter, Alice, in 4C on College Hill on Monday morning.
Alice, who is deaf, attends Lisanally Special School and was due to visit the nearby Southern Regional College with her school at 10am – so Alice and mum had a rare bit of downtime together.
“This was a one-off; I decided to treat Alice as she hadn’t been feeling all that well recently,” explained Linda-Jane.
“She had been feeling okay that morning so we went for breakfast at 4C as we had an hour to spare.
“I did notice at the corner of my eye a man was at the next table working on his laptop but we didn’t speak to each other. Alice was in great form enjoying her breakfast so I don’t know how he may have known of the challenges we had been facing.”
Little did Linda-Jane know, when she went to pay for their breakfast, the unknown gentleman had already paid their bill.
“I just burst into tears when the girl behind the till told me,” said Linda-Jane. “Just the kindness, the thoughtfulness of such a random act of kindness. It had such an impact on us and I would just love for that man to know how much it meant to us.”
Linda-Jane said it was the perfect pick-me-up for both of them, but especially Alice.
“I don’t honestly think he could have known the situation Alice had been facing and that this was a rare occasion her and I could actually spend time together alone like this. I don’t think he could have known that Alice had been so unwell but he knew something to make that lovely gesture.”
Since Linda-Jane shared the post on social media it has gone viral locally. While the man may not wish to come forward Linda-Jane just wants to know how grateful they are.
She added: “And the staff at 4C are so lovely. One of the young fellas, when he heard, said it had inspired him to do something similar some day for somebody. I thought that was something else – it had a knock-on effect.
“As for myself, I’m definitely going to go and pay it forward. I felt it first hand the impact it had on ourselves so I know what it will mean to someone else.”
Well done to that perfect stranger!
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