Sometimes seemingly “unnecessary” gestures stir up the most powerful emotions.
A 9-year-old boy from Mold, North Wales is making waves for a sweet act of kindness that brought tears to the eyes of many in his community. It started one day when Corey Hall and his mother Kym Watson were taking a walk through Mold Cemetery, and Corey noticed a grave that had been neglected.
“We were walking to my friends house and my son was interested in reading the graves and this grave really stood out to him as it was a one year old boy who passed away,” Kym explained. “Every time we walked passed many of the grave stones had flowers but this one didn’t.”
Seeing the weeds and brown dirt of the grave made Corey sad. He thought of the little child buried there, and wondered what had become of his family. Since they were clearly not able to tend the baby’s grave, he decided to do it himself!
Kym and Corey went to the store and purchased “the brightest flowers” they had. When they got back, Corey made quick work of removing branches, pine cones, and other debris from the grave.
Corey put the flowers they’d brought into pots and placed them tenderly on the stranger’s grave. Once he was done, he glanced around and spotted a few other graves that needed tidying as well, so he rolled up his sleeves and got to work!
“Once he cleaned up the gravestone these were his words: ‘That’s really made me feel good about myself and I want to help others,'” Kym recalled.
The mother and son decided then and there that they’d go back to the cemetery every few weeks to clean up gravesites one plot at a time. Kym posted about their plans on a Facebook page for the town, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. More than 700 people left comments praising the boy’s kindness and initiative. Since Kym and Corey are new to the town, this felt like a very warm welcome!
Townspeople are now volunteering to help Kym and Corey next time they visit the cemetery, and Kym says she is “the proudest mum in the world.”
We’re proud of this young man, too. He’s clearly got empathy to spare!
Don’t forget to share Corey’s inspiring act of kindness with a friend.
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