A Strangers Note on My Grocery Receipt Changed My Day, and Maybe My Faith in People

The world can feel sharp and impatient—people scrolling past each other, eyes down, hearts guarded. But moments like this remind me: goodness still lives here. It’s in the woman who notices, the man who holds the door a little longer, the neighbor who checks in just because.

That note didn’t just return my wallet—it restored something quieter, deeper. It reminded me that kindness isn’t gone. That people still choose to care, even when no one’s watching.

So now, when I see someone fumbling, hesitating, hurting—I try to be the one who notices. Because sometimes, it only takes a few words, scribbled on the back of a receipt, to remind someone that the world still holds grace.