Starbucks Barista Sobs After Receiving Note From a Stranger
Courtney Crawford, 32, likes to serve up more than just coffee to her early-morning customers at Starbucks.
A self-professed "morning person," the part-time Starbucks barista (who starts her day at the ungodly hour of 4 a.m.) goes out of her way to try to brighten people's days.
So, when a woman walked in who appeared to be struggling, Courtney kicked her pep into high gear. It worked.
As far as Courtney was concerned, she didn't do anything special. But to the woman? It meant everything.
Starbucks Barista Makes a Stranger's Day
Starbucks barista, Courtney Crawford, shares heartwarming story of a stranger's act of kindness
TikTok/@dopaqueen715
In a now-viral TikTok that'll have you crying in your coffee, Courtney shares her encounter with the woman and asks her followers for help finding her.
"This morning I was loud and proud and peppy and a woman came in and I could tell she was kinda struggling," Courtney begins.
Challenge Accepted.
Courtney immediately put a "little pep in her step" and got the woman smiling. By the time she left, she was noticeably happier. Two minutes later, the customer returned...with a note. She gave it to the manager to pass on to Courtney.
In the note the “groggy woman at 5 a.m" explained that she travels a lot for work, clocking long hours.
"I’ve been here for two days and so far you have been the only person I have encountered that has been genuinely kind. You were the first face I saw this morning and you really brightened my day,” she wrote.
"I am sure you are exhausted because, life, right? That’s all of us. But you deserve to know you made a difference in someone’s day today just by being kind.”
The woman went on to write that she was "willing to bet" that Courtney has a great sense of humor and that she hoped she had the "very best" day, adding, "I know I will thanks to you."
In addition to the note, the customer also gave Courtney $200, telling her to treat herself "to something nice." "Maybe just not coffee," she quipped.
It's at this point in the video that Courtney gets emotional and takes us all on a ride.
(Fair warning: You might wanna grab the Kleenex.)
An Unexpected Twist
What the woman couldn't have known is that this is Courtney's first Mother's Day without her mom. Heartbreakingly, she passed away last June.
Holding back tears, Courtney shares that she's holding down a full-time job on top of her part-time one at Starbucks just to try to make ends meet. She didn't know how she was going to swing it financially but she had been planning on buying an urn for her mom to bring her home for Mother’s Day.
"I would be lying to you if I told you that I was not dreading Mother's Day. And so, I decided that I was going to buy the urn that I had been looking at and bring my mom home for Mother's Day and I had no idea how I was going to afford it."
But now, thanks to the stranger's generous tip, her mama is coming home.
Courtney ends the video with a heartfelt thank you.
"That $200 you put in that note today allows me to spend Mother's Day with my mom and I appreciate you so much. So if you're out there and you're on TikTok, thank you for the impact you that you made on my life, and I hope that you see this and know that you did something that I will never forget."
She's not the only one hoping the woman will see it. So are the 3.5 MILLION viewers (and counting!) who are now invested in how this story turns out.
The video has everyone up in their feelings (because it's just THAT GOOD dang it) and if anyone can find her, TikTok can. Unless, of course, this commenter is right...
"She’s not out there honey. She is an angel that your mom sent. this is the most beautiful story. I know how important it is for you to bring her home."
TikTok Video Sparks a Deluge of Kindness
In a follow-up video, Courtney shares that she has yet to find the generous woman at Starbucks to thank her for her kindness, though she has received messages with potential leads. So, for now, the search continues.
Courtney also shares that her original video sparked a deluge of kindness. A woman named Dawn tracked her down and matched the monetary gift, ensuring that Courtney's mom is coming home in style.
Additionally, multiple people have messaged her asking how they can help.
Courtney just hopes that if people "feel the need to be kind" they'll pay it forward.
"We are all going through something. We are all hurting and healing from something so it's so important to be kind to each other."
- Courtney Crawford
Kindness is powerful and simply being kind to someone makes more of an impact than we often realize. Sometimes, it's even life-changing.
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Screenshots from a woman's TikTok video.@briknightt / TikTok