I have to share a story with you. In this day and age of social media there are too many stories out there that are so negative that it seems that all the stories about people doing good things never get brought into the light. So, when I see something that really makes me feel good and is about helping others I feel the need to share it with others in hope that it will make others feel good. And maybe, just maybe it will inspire others to do something similar for someone else.

Parenting is hard and sometimes you need some help. We’ve all been there right? Nichole Murphy, a mother of three, knows exactly how that feels. So, to see uplifting stories and maybe help someone out in the future, she joined a QC Pay it forward group. You can see tons of local people who need help, and those that lend a hand everyday on any of the QC Pay it Forward groups on Facebook.

Nicole Murphy / Facebook
Nicole Murphy / Facebook
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Now, some time later she still belongs to that group and from time to time will get notifications from people posting on the page. That’s when she got one that she saw that really stood out. She saw a post from a woman with four kids who is living in a shelter because she decided to leave an abusive relationship. Now, with nothing, this woman needed help and Nichole was there.

“I saw she was needing clothes for her kids and decided that it was no trouble for me to look and see what we had available and started digging through my kids’ old clothes.”

As she was gathering clothes she noted that if they had nothing then the woman’s kids probably wouldn’t have anything for the kids for Easter. As she was looking at Easter baskets Nichole’s own kids (Riya who is 6 and Taylor who is soon to be 8) told her, “Mom we don’t need Easter baskets. Let’s use our money and get them some.”

“We’ve been blessed by family and friends. Our cars are running, we have a roof over our heads, and food to eat.” Nichole told me. “I see people in need. I see people without a roof over their heads, and it seems so simple to me. There are so many people that need help.”

Nichole delivered the Easter baskets to the woman who was forever grateful that there was someone out there listening that day and was willing to go the extra mile to help her.

One of the best parts of this story I think are the lessons Nichole is teaching her children. They got to witness all of this first hand. They witnessed the act of helping someone in need. They learned (and demonstrated) the importance of appreciating what you have. Nichole feels the same way telling me, “My goal is that I want to teach my kids that even if you don’t think you have anything, you have more than others.”

In a world with so much negativity I think we could all learn something from Nichole. All it takes is a simple gesture to completely change someone’s day or life.

I know these types of things happen everyday and never get highlighted, but my hope is that if we start sharing these stories we can start a trend of more people helping people. I think the world needs that.

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