Being home from college for the summer has thus far been one unfortunate event after another. Things have been starting to look up, since I recently got a job helping older adults, which is incredibly fulfilling.

Today, my client for the day was a man with Parkinson's disease, and we went walking at Monroeville Mall because he's trying to stay strong and not let the disease take over.

My client had an appointment to get his hair cut, so while he was at his appointment I decided to kill time in the shoe store, Aldo. It's my favorite store in the mall.

I walked in and grabbed a couple of really great pairs of shoes and walked to the bench to try them on. The first pair, a beautiful snake skin and zebra print, caught the eye of a patron whom I've never met before in my life, who exclaimed: "Oh my God, those look so cute on you!"

I looked up to see a small woman with a big smile on her face. I said "Thanks" and to amuse her got up and looked at them in the mirror. They did look cute.

She asked, "Are you going to buy them?" I said, "No, no! I'm so broke. I'll come back and get them sometime."

She responded, "No! They won't be here! I'll buy them for you."

I lightly declined her offer and laughed a little. So far in my life, I've never met someone so persistent. She pulled out $40 and said, "Honey, look at my purse, $700. Look at my sunglasses. Trust me, this is nothing." The purse was Louis Vuitton, and the sunglasses, Gucci.

After I tried several times to shove the money back in her hands, she explained to me softly, "I don't have a daughter -- I lost her when she was just a child, and I only have a son. I buy things for my friends' daughters all the time. This is nothing. Please, you'll make me so happy if you let me buy these for you."

Now how could I refuse? We walked up to the register and I bought the shoes. She even let me go ahead of her in line.

I gave her a big hug and expressed my deep admiration for her.

I spent a lot of time debating what to do with the shoes, and after a lot of advice from my client's wife, Peg, and with my mom's encouragement, I've decided to keep the shoes. Every time I wear them, I'll think of this woman, and the amazing thing she did for me out of the kindness in her heart.

I wish I knew her name and her address, so I could send her a proper thanks. Or for my client, who exclaimed, "Why didn't you come get me! We could have gone to a men's shoe store!"

Thanks, random woman in Aldo -- you made my summer!

TINA GRASHA

Penn Township

I'm pleased to be able to say that I've recently been the recipient of a very appreciated random act of kindness.

On June 23, I was traveling with my mother-in-law from Pittsburgh to State College, taking her to visit with her new great-granddaughter. She was marveling at the beautiful rural scenery when -- boom! -- we got a very flat tire.

Within five minutes, before I could decide what to do, a young man pulled up behind us and offered to change the tire. It seems that as he was going past he saw our predicament, so he turned around and came back.

Not only did he efficiently change the tire and put on the spare, he told me the location of the closest store where I could get the tire repaired.

Serendipity! Our hero's name is Matt, the same as my youngest son's. (And he was just as kind.) He also lives in Pittsburgh and he works at the county jail.

Because of his willingness to take time to help people he didn't know, Matt kept us from going through a long and potentially difficult delay.

MARGARET VANFOSSAN

Perrysville

My sister and I took my 95-year-old mother to a restaurant on Route 286, and while getting out of the car my mother fell. I do not know where everyone came from, but I want to thank the constable, the mailman, the driver who left his car in the takeout line, and people who came to help us get our mother up from the ground.

I also want to let them know that my mom did not even have a bruise.

KATHY McCLELLAND

Swissvale

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