Maddie's First Random Act of Kindness Experience

This afternoon we stopped into Husky's for ice cream on our sunny day!! Yes, I said sunny. Afterwards, I drug the family into NW Art and Frame. Maddie of course found something she "had" to have. I told her she did not need the "diamond" the size of a satsuma. Despite a few pleas from her - she was still not going to get the gem. That is, until a complete stranger came up to Maddie with an outstretched clenched hand and said to me, "May I?" I was a bit surprised at her question and said, "OK," not knowing quite what to expect. She then traded Maddie gems, giving Maddie the one that she had paid for and taking the one that Maddie was not going to get. She quickly disappeared as quickly as she had made the presentation. I was reluctant to walk out of the store with the item and did not want to stick it in my purse. On our way up to the register, we saw the lady on the opposite side paying for the gift along with some other things. She did not want to be noticed but Maddie quickly went over to thank her.
Maddie has been on cloud nine ever since. She came home and washed her gem. Put it in a special pouch and had to make a strap for the pouch so she did not lose it. It is now safely tucked in her bed with her. More importantly than how much she likes the gem is how often she tells us how nice it was of this lady to give a little girl she did not even know something so special. We truly believe she understands how kind the gesture was. We don't doubt that Maddie will want to return a Random Act of Kindness to someone else. What a precious life lesson.