The amazing thing about life’s unpredictability is that you never know when you might stumble across something heartwarming.
In everyday scenarios, there’s always the potential for a stranger’s act of kindness to make another person’s day.
One stranger who has sparked the right sort of attention with his own act of kindness is Izayah Edwards. The teenage bagger at Jewel-Osco noticed that an elderly woman was struggling to pay her grocery bill – so he stepped forward and paid the $20 she needed of her $150 bill.
Izayah had simply been looking out for the elderly woman, doing what he’d hope anyone would do for him. But a fellow customer, Suzanne Dee, noticed his act of kindness and snapped a photo of him at the checkout.
She then shared a post to Facebook about the 17-year-old student, writing:
“I took this picture while in line at the Crown Point Jewel-Osco a half an hour ago. I had been thinking crabby thoughts about humanity just before I spotted this young man, who was bagging groceries, pull out his wallet to pay the remainder of a customer’s bill when she said she didn’t have enough. See? There are still heroes.”
https://www.facebook.com/suzanne.dee.1/posts/3576485319042902
The post quickly went viral, with more than 1,000 reactions and 2.9k shares. People commented on how pleased they were to see such a positive post in light of recent times, with one person writing:
“Aw❗ This warms my heart. This young man was taught to be a part of the solution. Thanks for sharing the good stuff happening in our world today. What a real breath of fresh air.🥰👍”
Someone else had a personal connection to the elderly lady in question, writing:
“This lady is my grandma! This is such a blessing! She is struggling so much medically and is on a strict budget. I am so sure that she appreciates it more than this young man knows.
God will bless him!”
Suzanne’s post didn’t just capture the attention of the public – state Rep. Lisa Beck caught wind of the story and, reported by NWI Times, said that Izayah is an “inspiration.” She plans to honor the teenager at a ceremony with Crown Point’s mayor.
As for Izayah, he knew that, in today’s tough times, making that small effort could make all the difference to someone’s life. He said:
“What inspired me is that I felt really bad with everything going on with the pandemic and all the negative things in the world. This was a little moment in the day where I could show that someone out there really did care.”
Izayah had apparently assured the elderly woman that he didn’t want to be reimbursed for the money – he simply wanted to help her.
With no Facebook account, Izayah didn’t even know that a post in his name had gone viral. But people at work wasted no time in informing him about his new local celebrity status, with many people congratulating him and telling him that he had “been raised right”.
Izayah is currently a senior at Merrillville High School, and is in the process of seeking scholarships for college. He has hopes to study medical school and eventually become a pediatrician.
With his generous and loving spirit, Izayah couldn’t have aspired to a career more suited to him.
This story is a reminder that there’s still good out there, even in what many people believe to be the toughest of times.
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