by Debbie Gruber
At the Holiday Inn in Clinton, New Jersey, Christina Summit was tending bar with a heavy heart. Her fur baby Tucker, a Great Dane-Black Labrador mix, was having emergency surgery at the veterinary hospital. Tucker had accidently swallowed a hard plastic ball.
Not only was she concerned about Tucker's wellbeing, but she was also worried about how she was going to pay for the $2,700 vet bill. An animal lover to her very core (Christina volunteers with a pit bull rescue group and also helps to find homes for animals of all kinds), she would do anything to pay for Tucker's surgery.
Summit's Hero Was Just About To Make An Appearance
At the beginning of the evening, Summit was chatting with her two customers at the bar, a friendly couple. The man noticed the paw print tattoo on Summit's wrist, and asked if she had a dog of her own. Summit told them about Tucker undergoing surgery. The man mentioned how expensive surgery is. Summit told them her baby had to have the surgery or he would die.As the evening progressed, the couple ordered drinks followed by dinner. Their bill was $80. When Summit collected his credit card receipt, she saw this kind-hearted man left her a $1,000 tip.
She started crying and shaking. Not believing her own eyes, she showed the bill to her sister, who also tends bar at the Holiday Inn, to make sure she was actually seeing a one followed by three zeros.
Summit said to the man, "Sir, I cannot accept this, what is this for, why would you do this?'". He told her it was for Tucker's surgery. She was still in shock as she hugged the couple. They said, "We'll be praying for Tucker."
Hotel manager Michelle Satanik said, "Apparently this man does this quite frequently. Just a really nice guy and humanitarian. I have never ever seen a $1,000 tip like that."
This Story Fills My Heart With Joy
It proves that good people are out there.
It gives me hope.
It got me thinking about all the beautiful kind-hearted people in our world. Most of whom, unlike this kind man, we will never hear about.
In addition to beautiful people, the world is filled with so many beautiful things. A rainbow is my favorite beautiful thing. The colors. The magnificence. I love rainbows so much that I was inspired to use paint to create rainbow swirl loafers. It makes me happy every time I see these shoes in our workshop.
Your Turn . . .
Have you ever experience a random act of kindness?