Girl Gets $56 Left by Stranger in Toy Store, Learns Her Late Daughter Would Have Turned 4 That Day

An unusual incident occurred inside a toy store in Northern Ireland, where a mother suddenly started crying after the store staff gave her little daughter a gift voucher.

Caitlin Foster lived with her daughter Lacey in Northern Ireland. One day, the mother and daughter visited Foster's grandmother and spent some time with her. Before they left her place, the granny gifted little Lacey $11.

Since Foster's grandmother lived near Smyths Toys in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, she took Lacey there, so the little girl could spend the $11 she had received. Little did Foster know that something unexpected would reduce her to tears a few minutes later.

The Toy Store

After Foster and her daughter entered the toy store, the colorful aisles made the little girl smile. She probably wanted to buy all the pretty dolls and the pink-colored toys that caught her attention, but Foster kept telling her to buy something that wasn't over $11.

Whenever Lacey picked something, Foster would take it back after checking the price tag because it was out of their budget. Although she felt bad asking her little girl to buy something else, she wanted Lacey to utilize only the money her granny gave her.

While little Lacey was trying to pick a toy that didn't exceed her budget, three staff members approached Foster. The mother had no idea what they were about to tell her.

The Staff Members

Foster believed one of the three staff members was the store manager, but she wasn't sure why they wanted to speak to her until she saw a voucher in their hands.

Everyone in the aisle suddenly felt emotional thinking about the random act of kindness.

One of the staff members handed the voucher to Foster, telling her that a lady had left it at the store earlier that day and had asked them to give it to a preschool child. Foster started crying after she learned why the kind woman wanted to gift the voucher.

The Voucher

Although the staff members did not know the woman's name, they were aware of the reason why she left the $56 voucher. They told Foster that the woman did it to honor her late daughter, who would have turned four on September 15, 2022. Foster confessed:

"I just started crying, and then the workers were crying too."

Everyone in the aisle suddenly felt emotional thinking about the random act of kindness. The unknown lady had no idea her little effort would touch the hearts of the store's staff members and Foster.

A Small Note

The lady had left a little note inside the voucher, and Foster posted a photo of it on her Facebook profile, hoping it would reach the woman. The note read:

"In loving memory of our daughter Juno, four today, 15th September."

"And all I can say is if Juno's mummy is reading this, I just want to say a huge thank you," Foster said. She wanted to tell the lady that her sweet gesture had brightened Lacey's day.

Inspiring Others

Foster said what the woman did was inspirational, and she wanted to meet her and see her family. Meanwhile, the gift voucher enabled Lacey to buy the toys her mother asked her to place back on the shelves.

While the unknown woman's gesture moved Foster, it also left the netizens heartbroken, and they expressed their feelings by commenting on Belfast Live's Facebook post. Here are some of their messages:

"Oh, my heart is hurting reading this. Thinking of Juno's parents, who would have been getting her ready to start school."

― (@Frugal Flair) September 17, 2022

"This is heartbreaking but beautiful at the same time. God bless this wonderful mother. I am sure her baby girl is smiling down on her."

― (@Martha Nolan) September 17, 2022

"This happened to my son too. He was gifted a birthday cake in memory of another child by his mother. It was the kindest gesture in the world."

― (@Stacey Karen Kent) September 17, 2022

It's rare to see such sweet gestures by strangers, but they are enough to brighten one's day. We hope the unknown lady's little girl is watching her mother from above while the lady makes other kids smile. Fly high, little angel!

Click here to read about another act of kindness that sparked a 6-year friendship between an employee and a boy with Down syndrome.