This story was published in April 2015.

His wife and children already asleep, Richard Specht was lying on the couch of his Sound Beach home Wednesday night, about ready to turn in himself, when he opened the email. A night earlier, a waitress had emailed Specht and told him that she had a picture of something that was really incredible, but she wasn't sure if she should send it. Specht emailed her back and told her that he couldn't offer his opinion since he didn't know what she was referencing.

On Wednesday night, he found out. The waitress sent the photo. It shows a recent receipt from the restaurant where the waitress works. The total on the bill before tip: $43.50. The total after: $3,043.50. A man the waitress knew and who she had supported through his life's endeavors left her a 6,897 percent tip. Next to the receipt is a note the man wrote to the waitress explaining why he left the $3,000 tip.

The note begins: "Thank you for your kindness and humility. My teacher in middle school had such a difficult experience a few years ago which has sparked me to do this." That teacher was Richard Specht. Richard and Samantha Specht went through the unthinkable in 2012. Their 22-month-old son Richard Edwin-Ehmer Specht drowned in a pond in the family's backyard just days before Hurricane Sandy.

Since then, the Spechts have made it their mission, through their foundation ReesSpecht Life, to inspire people to pay kindness forward in memory of their son, who was affectionately known as "Rees" for his initials.

Richard Specht wrote a children's book, "A Little Rees Specht Cultivates Kindness," last year. It tells the story of a young farmer named Little Rees Specht who discovers that kindness, like a seed, will only grow and spread if one takes the time to cultivate it.