I let him finish, then calmly said, “That woman was my mother.” He went pale. I told him we had no job for him, but the shelter down the street might be hiring. That night, I called Mom and told her what happened. She laughed, then softly said, “You didn’t do it for me — you did it for that little boy who saw it all.” She was right.

Now she works with me, leading our community outreach and mentoring teens. She still hands out cookies — but now, on her own terms. Her heart never changed. Karma remembered, sure. But more importantly, kindness never faded.