Sam Coleman-Dancer was working his shift at an Ace Hardware store in Cleveland, Mississippi when an elderly customer came in looking for a shovel. The man told Sam, 19, that he was recently diagnosed with cancer and he needed the shovel to bury his treasured dog of 15 years.
The man shared stories about playing with his dog and told Sam his pet had always been there for him and he was emotional and it touched the teen, so he offered to help. Sam told the senior he would like to come help him bury his dog after work and that’s exactly what he did for this elderly stranger.
"Something he said stuck with me," Sam explains. "He told me that great things come to you at unexpected times and we both smiled. Definitely something we will both remember. He asked me if there was anyway he could repay me and I told him 'yeah, by taking a picture with me'. Because I know that picture is something I will cherish forever."