Often acts of kindness go unnoticed, and that’s how it should be. People shouldn’t do something kind with the intent of being recognized. But those rare moments when a bystander or witness takes a photo or shares the magic are so special.
This is one of those moments.
Amber Broome is the mom of a young man named Collin. Collin is 12 years old and his mom explained that he has autism. Collin had a field trip the next day, so his mom wanted to take him to get a pair of shoes to wear for that.
Source: Amber FreemanAmber said that due to her son’s autism, he has never been able to tie a shoe. That is why they always choose to get the same brand of shoe for Collin called “Hey Dudes” which do not require tying.
The two pulled into Rack Room in Pascagoula to try on some shoes.
As they walked inside the store, a young employee named J. Packer greeted them and Amber explained that her son needed “Hey Dudes” because he didn’t know how to tie shoelaces. She explained Collin’s situation to the young salesman.
J was happy to get Collin the shoes he needed, but Amber said that he surprised her when he instead, pulled two benches together and motioned for Collin to sit down with him.
He grabbed two Nike shoes off the rack nearby and handed one to Collin. They sat together and J patiently and kindly showed Collin two different ways to tie shoes. His kindness and encouragement meant more than the world to Amber.
J could have rushed to finish the sale and moved on to the next person. He could have just grabbed the “Hey Dudes” and there would have been nothing wrong with that.
But J showed something us something that can be hard to find in the world nowadays…he showed kindness.
Amber said in her post on Facebook,
“Mr. J Packer, you made this mommy’s whole year. My boy stopped running around the store and gave you his full attention. You, sir, are what’s good in this world.”
J went out of his way to make Collin feel seen, loved, and important in that moment. He didn’t brush him off like many people probably do, but he decided to sit with him and encourage him in a task that was probably frustrating and discouraging for Collin.
We need more J’s in the world.
J didn’t do it to get recognized, he probably didn’t even see Amber snap a quick picture as she watched somebody make her son feel so important and loved.
Amber said that her son didn’t end up learning to tie the shoes…but that isn’t the point of this story. J told him to come back and practice with him anytime.
“So we left with our Hey Dudes and hope restored.”
Rack Room Shoes PR, Dejah Gilliam shared this statement with us,
“In regards to our associate, J- we are so proud of his customer service and as a company we hold strong values for social responsibility. His manager states that this is his true nature with every customer and we are so happy to hear that his efforts touched this customer in such a meaningful way.”
Genuine kindness and compassion are some of the most beautiful things in life. Thank you, J for restoring faith in humanity and setting an example.
