An Oklahoma mom was just hanging out in the toy aisle with her toddler when an occurrence with an older gentleman suddenly gave her some perspective on life.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Alyssa Hacker was at Target on Saturday (Sept. 16) with her 18-month-old son Owen, who was playing with three dinosaur toys he picked up. A social child, Owen enjoys saying "hi" to strangers, so it wasn't a surprise when he randomly yelled the greeting at an older man nearby. The man responded, "Hi sweet boy!" and walked over to Owen to play with him.
Normally, Hacker is on guard around strangers with her son, but not this time.
"That's not like me," Hacker told Today Parents. "I'm always in mommy protective mode, but I know this was a God thing that happened."
The man only stayed a brief while. As he was leaving though, he pulled out a $20 bill and said to Hacker, "I just lost my 2-year-old grandson last week. You take this money and buy this boy all three dinosaurs."
READ MORE: Florida Millionaire Turns Mansion into Shelter for 70 Foster Kids After Irma
The encounter brought her to tears in the middle of the store. Later, she posted about the experience online. Her story went viral, racking up 350,000 shares.
"After Owen yelled 'Thank you!' the gentleman turned around and yelled 'Boomer sooner!' There is still some good in this world." Hacker said.
