A simple act of kindness can really go a long way. Florida state receiver Travis Rudolph said he noticed a child sitting alone and decided to brighten up that boy’s day by sitting next to him. The mother saw the kind gesture and was moved to tears as she saw someone having lunch with her autistic son. The mother then wrote about the football player’s actions on Facebook where it went viral.
Travis Rudolph and five other Seminoles were visiting the middle school as a community service program for the children. It was during lunch time, Rudolph noticed a boy eating his lunch alone. The college student decided that he would join the boy for lunch as they ate their slices of pizza. The child and Rudolph talked to each other, shared their aspirations and each made a friend that day.
When the mother received the picture below of her son having lunch with Rudolph, it immediately brought tears to her eyes.
As to why the small act moved the mother, she writes about it on Facebook…
Part of the post reads:
“Now that I have a child starting middle school, I have feelings of anxiety for him, and they can be overwhelming if I let them. Sometimes I’m grateful for his autism. That may sound like a terrible thing to say, but in some ways I think, I hope, it shields him. He doesn’t seem to notice when people stare at him when he flaps his hands. He doesn’t seem to notice that he doesn’t get invited to birthday parties anymore.”
“And he doesn’t seem to mind if he eats lunch alone. It’s one of my daily questions for him. Was there a time today you felt sad? Who did you eat lunch with today? Sometimes the answer is a classmate, but most days it’s nobody. Those are the days I feel sad for him, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He is a super sweet child, who always has a smile and hug for everyone he meets.”
It breaks my heart reading the post the mother wrote, but I’m glad Rudolph made a big impact on this family. Every child is a blessing to a parent. When we hear stories about our child sitting alone, we can’t help but also feel sad. But when we hear things like this, it really makes everything better.
Thank you, Travis Rudolph. Your kind actions did not go unnoticed.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
