Life is all about creating ripples of kindness.

Eight years old Myles Eckert was at a snow-covered parking lot at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in suburban Toledo, Ohio when he found a $20 bill. He thought about buying a video game, however when he and his family walked inside the restaurant and notice a man wearing military uniform, the boy decided to pass the $20 bill to the soldier.

Myles scribbled a short message that says: “Dear soldier, my Dad was a soldier. He’s in heaven now. I found this $20 in the parking lot when we got here. We like to pay it forward in my family. It’s your lucky day! Thank you for your service.”

Myles’s father was killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq about six weeks after he was born. Sadly, he never get to meet his Dad.
The uniformed soldier reminded him of his father and giving him the money makes Myles feel good.

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After his kind deed, Myles asked his mom to drive him to the cemetery where his dad has been buried. It’s a family tradition—going to the grave site to share experiences with Dad.

The soldier, Lt. Col. Frank Dailey of the Ohio Air National Guard, who received the money from Myles shared what happened in his Facebook post, which they intended for family and friends. But word of the good deed went viral. Pretty quickly, other positive things began to spread.

Dailey did not keep the found $20 either. Following Myles’ example, he anonymously gave it to charity, and he’s makes a point to continue giving. As he told CBS News, the boy gave him more than money: “A lifetime direction, for sure.”

As Myles reflects, he says “it wasn’t that hard” to part with the $20. After all, he says, “it’s just money.”

What a wise young man with a heart of giving!