An Intern Gives Spare Change To A Homeless Man And Sees Him Years Later In A Suit

As the famous adage goes, “The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention,” and this can be certainly applied to real life. People often go on with the flow of life and with it being fast-paced, they seldom realize that everything goes back to the smallest of things.

Some may perform small acts of kindness, not knowing that this has a great impact on the other person. Let’s face it, sometimes, we have no idea that our simple actions may mean so much to others. Like what happened to a 16-year-old intern in upstate New York.

He befriended a homeless guy named Ivan who stays outside of his office building.

Whenever the intern would see Ivan, he would not hesitate to give his spare change whe he bought food at the stalls nearby. It has become a habit and eventually, even the vendors know what the intern has been doing.

This went on for quite some time and surely, the homeless guy felt grateful that he has money to buy food to help him survive one day at a time.

However, despite their daily encounters, the young intern and Ivan never really became close because they didn’t talk much. The intern just knew that Ivan has been suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and ran away from his family because he felt like he was always in a bad place in his mind.

Though the intern gives his spare change to Ivan without wanting to be seen by others, the vendors around the area witnessed how he helped Ivan – even though a small deed, survive and live through the day.

When the intern forgot his wallet one day, the vendor gave the food for free. The vendor said:

“Look, I see what you do for Ivan every day. Just take it, you deserve it.”

But one day, Ivan disappeared. No one knew what happened to him. Years later, the young intern returned to his hometown and decided to walk around his old office location.

Then a well-groomed man in a suit approached him.

The guy said:

“Excuse me… do you remember me?”

The young intern narrated about the encounter:

“I turn to look, and a tall, well-groomed man in business-casual clothes is standing next to my booth. I looked him up and down a few times before it clicked.

“Ivan? Really?”

The man nodded. Ivan was on the verge of tears as he thanked the young man for helping him years ago. Ivan said he was able to get a job and he was able to afford a therapist for his PTSD.

“He told me that he had been at his lowest that summer when I saw him every day, and that he frequently thought of just sitting around and waiting for the end.”

“Ivan never knew my name, and still doesn’t. I like to think that he never will, and that he’ll just remember that once upon a time, a young man behaved like a true human being.”

It turns out, even the smallest act of kindness just like how the young intern interacted with Ivan, reminded him that even at the lowest of the lows, there are still some good left in the world and it came from a total stranger.

Share your blessings to others and you will be blessed more.

This is truly an inspiring story, do you have similar experiences? Share them in the comments section below.