At the start of the winter-break holiday, my 7-year old and I were shopping for toys at the Bothell Fred Meyer when we heard a woman ask around to various people, “Are you buying a present for someone?” But, people must have been too busy that they didn’t seem to hear her. So I, thinking that she needed an idea for buying a gift, replied to her that we were looking for birthday gifts for a friend. She then asked if we would accept $10 from her to help in buying the gift. I was completely caught off guard for a moment. Then I realized what she was saying and we thanked her and said we would accept her generosity and use the money to buy someone else a gift. After some discussion, my son and I decided that we would continue and extend that woman’s generosity by doubling her contribution to buy two gifts to donate, one for a boy and one for a girl.

The purpose of my letter isn’t simply to share the wonderful story about this thoughtful woman, but to extend my sincere thanks to her for reminding me and my family that we have so much to be thankful for in our own lives. We did not need that $10 for gift buying, but it certainly helped to spur us to remember that there are children who could benefit from some gifts that we could provide. Compared to the hardships being faced by many children and families in our community, my family is very fortunate in having our health, comfort and daily needs being met.

Therefore, many thanks to the woman at Fred Meyer for reminding us of the generosity of the human spirit and committing that random act of kindness.

Lyng Chu, Bothell