We may never know what a random act of kindness can do. Have you ever driven up to the window of a doughnut shop and found that your coffee and pastry was already paid for? Have you ever pulled up to a toll booth and found out that someone ahead had paid your toll? Has a friend ever impulsively given you a big hug—just when you need it?

These and so much more are random acts of kindness. We may never know the outcome of our own acts of kindness, but whether or not you believe it, it makes the world a better place.

I wish I could remember where this story came from, but here it is: in a small town there was a homeless man who spent his days sitting on the ground and hoping for a few pennies each day. He wore torn and dirty clothes, he had no shoes, his hair was long and dirty, and his fingernails were long and cracked. No one really knew him well, but a group of women in town decided to help him.

They set up a little washing station and cleaned him up as best they could. They shampooed his hair and gave him a proper haircut. They trimmed his finger and toe nails, brushed his teeth, and gave him new clothes and shoes. They brought him food and water each day, and generally just watched over him. They made him part of their families, and made sure that he was all right. In this way, the town made him a member of everyone’s family. You can only imagine what this act of kindness meant to this poor and lonely man.

We may never know the difference we make in others’ lives just by a simple act of kindness. It may be a little bit of money, time and care from you, but to the receiver, it means the world.