She looked at the note in disbelief… who had written her 5-year-old son a letter? What did they want? Opening it and reading carefully, she reread the same line, over and over
again. Then, she started to cry. Pulling herself together, she snapped a picture of the letter and posted it to Facebook. She wanted everyone to know what this man had done.
Little Entrepreneur
Adam Houssami was 5-years-old and lived with his family in Dearborn, Michigan. One particularly hot summer’s day, he decided to set up a Kool-Aid stall to make some extra cash for the summer holidays. He thought that if he sold each cup of Kool-Aid for 50c, he would soon have a moderate amount of pocket money.
Heatwave
Adam’s mother encouraged his entrepreneurial venture and said that he could set up a stall on the pavement outside the house. There were bound to be passersby who would want a cold drink on a day as hot as this. But Krista never expected anything out of the ordinary to happen that day.
A Stranger
Krista went inside for her sunglasses as she intended to keep watch on her son from the porch. She had no intention of leaving him alone for more than a minute, but when she glanced out the window, she saw that a stranger had appeared out of nowhere and was talking to Adam. Then, she saw the van.
“What Did He Want?”
Rushing outside, Krista just missed the stranger. Krista was sweating. It was so unbelievably hot outside. Relieved, she turned to Adam and asked casually: “Did you sell some Kool-Aid?” Adam replied that no, he hadn’t. “Well, what did the man want then?” Krista asked. What Adam then told her made her heart ache for her young son.
Thirsty Work
Adam mumbled a few words and Krista didn’t understand what he was saying, at first. Then he recounted what had happened and she was taken aback. Adam told her that the man
was the mailman, and he must be hot from having to walk from house to house to deliver his mail. So, he had asked him if he wanted to buy some Kool-Aid.
Cold Kool-Aid
Krista’s heart had leaped in her chest when she heard what the mailman had said to Adam, and she felt terrible for her little boy who had only wanted to make some pocket money. She had begun to wonder if Adam’s Kool-Aid stand had even been a good idea. Then, Adam continued recounting what had happened with the mailman.
Trying Hard
Unfortunately, the mailman had no money on him, so Adam poured him a big, cool glass of Kool-Aid and gave it to him for free. Krista started to grin. What a sweet thing for her boy to do. And then, she thought no more about it. But she never could have imagined what would happen just one week later.
Encouragement
Adam continued to man his Kool-Aid stall, but even during the heatwave, it hadn’t been very successful. Krista’s heart went out to her young son for trying so hard to make extra money
for himself. She kept encouraging him. She even told her friends and everyone she met about Adam’s Kool-Aid stand, hoping that they would come to support him. Then, one morning, something unexpected happened.
Mail
Krista was going about her usual routine one morning when she went outside to check the mailbox. She opened it and saw a letter addressed to Adam. What could this be? she
thought as she carefully unfolded it. Who would write a letter to her son? As she read on, it was soon apparent who the letter was from. And then, she started to cry.
Repayment
The letter read: “Adam. Remember last week when you were selling Kool-Aid on a hot day? I didn’t have any money but you offered me Kool-Aid anyways. Thanks, man! I was really thirsty. Good things happen to good people like you. Stay cool, dude. Mailman.” Krista was touched. But that wasn’t all the letter contained.
Touched
Folded into the letter was a $20 bill. Krista couldn’t believe her eyes! this astonishing gesture was a token of the mailman’s appreciation. Adam would be thrilled! he would have had to sell 40 cups of Kool-Aid to make this amount of cash. Krista broke down in tears and then ran inside to show her son.
Faith In Humanity
In an interview later, Krista said: “It makes me feel really good to know that there are still people in this world that care.” Her faith in humanity had been restored by the mailman’s act of kindness. And she was so impressed that she immediately recounted the whole story on Facebook for everyone to see.
Facebook Post
“Adam was selling Kool-Aid in the front yard last week and he asked the mailman to buy some. He didn’t have money on him, but Adam said, ‘It’s okay, you can still have some,’ and he poured him a cup. Today the mailman put this in our mail. This seriously brought tears to my eyes. What a kind thing to do.”
Viral
Krista’s post quickly went viral — everyone was touched by the small act of kindness, and the entire community was proud to see people who showed such compassion. Soon, over 500 people had shared Krista’s post, and the positive comments kept flooding in. But netizens weren’t the only ones impressed by the uplifting story.
The News
The story was quickly picked up by news networks, and shortly after, people all around the world had heard about the sweet interaction between the little boy and the mailman. WXYZ news in Detroit released the story on Youtube, and it garnered over 64,000 views!
Comments
A commenter on Youtube wrote: “Help your fellow human with compassion and you will be rewarded,” and another added: “Children will save us all.” Eventually the story had gained so much traction that Nebraska’s WOWT 6 News Facebook page featured a segment on Adam, too. And the feedback from the people was astounding.
Positive Feedback
“We need this kind of news on a daily basis. [I’m] so tired of negative and horrible stuff all the time. Stuff like this warms your heart and brings back faith in humanity. Keep up the good work, kiddo! And thank you to the mailman for what you did as well!” someone commented on the Facebook page.
A Lesson
Krista was bowled over by the response her post got, and she certainly never expected the story to feature on the news! But there is just one thing she is concerned
about: she just hopes that Adam remembers his interaction with the mailman forever. She wants him to see it as a valuable lesson — one we can all learn from.
Repercussions
Krista hopes that Adam’s actions in the future are guided by his encounter with the mailman, and she wants him to understand that kindness is rewarded with kindness. “I think that it will show
him that, no matter what, you should help people,” she said. Not even Krista expected the small gesture of giving a man a glass of Kool-Aid to have such an enormous outcome.
Kindness
“That small gesture was something really big,” Krista added. And the story serves to show that paying it forward — even if it’s a small gesture — can have a huge impact.
Adams small gesture of kindness touched the mailman so deeply that he felt compelled to return the favor… it just goes to show that kindness really does make the world go round!