When Tara Wood brought her daughter to a Publix grocery store to buy the four-year-old some cupcakes, she had no idea she would be a life-changing experience.
As Tara pushed her daughter Norah around the store last month, she passed an older man who was by himself.
The old man looked stern and cold, until Norah shouted: ‘Hi, old person! It’s my birthday today!’
The man stopped and his demeanor changed from distant and serious to warm and friendly.
‘How old are you today?’ the man asked.
After some time together talking, Norah asked her mom to take a picture of her with her new friend, Dan ‘Mr Dan’ Peterson, 82.
They hugged and after ten minutes went their separate ways.
Tara posted the picture of her daughter and Mr Dan on Facebook and someone who recognized him reached out to her with his contact information.
When Norah Wood (right), four, saw widower Dan Peterson (left), 82, alone in a supermarket in Georgia she said ‘Hi old person!’ Since then the two have developed a life-changing friendship
It turned out Mr Dan’s wife had died in March and he had been suffering from depression and anxiety ever since
But after connecting with Norah, Mr Dan’s life has been changed and he said Norah has shown him a type of love he didn’t know existed
It turned out Mr Dan’s wife had died in March and he had been suffering from depression and anxiety ever since.
The person on Facebook told Tara it was the first time they had seen Mr Dan smile since the death of his wife.
Tara contacted Mr Dan, and ever since Norah and the 82-year-old have developed a friendship unlike any other.
‘She has shown me a depth of love, a depth I didn’t know existed,’ Mr Dan told CNN.
Pictures on Tara’s Facebook show the pair enjoying cupcakes together, exchanging stuffed animals and sharing lots of hugs.
Pictures on Norah’s mom Tara Wood’s Facebook show the pair enjoying cupcakes together, exchanging stuffed animals and sharing lots of hugs
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‘If you just take the time to notice people, you never know how you can positively impact a life,’ point 194 | 1
Mr Dan told Tara that before meeting Norah, he hadn’t had one night of uninterrupted sleep.
Anxiety kept him up at all hours and made him restless. After meeting Norah, he said he now sleeps soundly.
For Mr Dan’s 82nd birthday on October 20, the mother and daughter brought balloons and presents – and, of course, cupcakes.
Mr Dan will also spend a day around Thanksgiving with Norah and her family.
‘If you just take the time to notice people, you never know how you can positively impact a life,’ Tara Wood told CNN.
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