Sweet smiles all around

“I was grocery shopping with my 6-year-old grandson, Ian, when he spotted Stars and Stripes cupcakes and begged me to buy them. I knew his mom was making a cake for the family Fourth of July barbecue. But seeing the sad look on his face, I bought them anyway.

“On our way home, I spotted a car with a flat tire on the side of the road and pulled over. The frazzled mom told me over the sobs of her three children that her cellphone was dead and she couldn’t call for help. I let her use my phone, but the little ones grew more frustrated. It was then that Ian brought out the cupcakes and asked if it was okay for the kids to have some.

“The grateful mom nodded and soon the kids sat happily licking frosting from their fingers. ‘Lucky we got those cupcakes,’ Ian beamed. I laughed, delighted at his kind heart, ‘They saved the day!’” —Angela Fleming, 50, Little Rock, AK