Carry on Beautiful!

I think about the day my dad died quite often because obviously it was one of, it not the worst day of my life, but also because the kindness displayed by the people around me that day that didn’t even know me was absolutely beautiful. Nothing could have been done that day to make me feel better, but kindness from strangers made it that bit not quite as awful as it could have been.

On the 25th of April 2015 at 11:14 AM I was sat in a Starbucks in Liverpool writing and I got a phone call from a nurse telling me my dad had just passed away. I hate crying in public but I couldn’t not cry knowing my dad had died, and I cried pretty damn loud. I didn’t feel particularly embarrassed but a lot of people were staring at me and I just absolutely didn’t know what to do. As I sat there, a lady walking past saw me crying and asked if I needed a hug. It was the most I had ever needed a hug and this lady hugged me so tight, as though I was an old friend rather than a stranger, and told me that what ever had happened I would be okay. She then walked away with no idea that I would think about that regularly for years to come.

I’ve thought a lot about trying to find her to thank her but I think at this point it has been too long.

From there I had to go and meet my mum, which meant walking through Liverpool city centre while still sobbing and looking a total mess and being completely out of it. I was so out of it that I very nearly got hit by a car that I didn’t notice. When the car then pulled over and the driver got out I thought he was going to shout at me and instead, he asked if I was okay. I told him no and he asked if I needed a lift, to which I again said no and explained I was almost where I needed to go. Rather than get back into his car and drive away, he left his car unlocked and illegally parked to walk with me and make sure I got there safe.

His car could have been stolen, ticketed, anything and he didn’t even take a second to think about that before making sure I was safe and going to be okay and again, I’ve thought about trying to find him to thank him but it’s been too long now I think and I don’t even remember what he looked like.

These are two tiny things, the people that did them may not even remember them but they made the worst day of my life that little bit not so terrible. They showed me that the kindness my dad always said was out in the world, the good people that cared and looked after each other, they were all still out there even if my dad wasn’t. Nothing could have made that day better, but they made sure it wasn’t any worse than it couldn’t be so where ever they are, I want to take this post to thank them and anyone else thats helped a stranger for no reason but to help. You never know just how much it could mean to them.

-Dana