After an incredible encounter with complete strangers, Joyce Rhinehart decided to share her story — and it still sends chills straight through her.

After her grandson's tennis lesson, Joyce took her grandson to Rita's Italian Ice for a treat. As they were about to leave, she noticed a sweet family all enjoying ice cream together and she stopped. "Something urged me to ask them if I could take their picture, which they did not hesitate to agree," she shared on Frank Somerville's Facebook page. "I took this picture and then handed my phone to the young daughter and told her to go ahead and text the picture to their cell phone."



A Complete Stranger Saved This Mom and Her 4 Kids but Wanted 1 Major Thing in Return Related

On their way home, Joyce explained to her grandson that this isn't the first time she's offered to capture a sweet family moment for complete strangers so that they can have a special memory. Days later, she looked at her phone and noticed a text message from an unsaved number:

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Dear madam, you took our picture in front of Rita's on June 8th. My wife has passed away yesterday and this is the last picture we have together as a family. Please accept my deepest gratitude for your kindness, it means the world to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Joyce continued texting the father and learned that his wife had been sick for the past year. "Never underestimate a simple act of random kindness," she wrote. "My heart is heavy for this sweet family that I don't even know and the tremendous gift that was left to them because I listened to my gut that day. I'm in awe!"