“Traci had no idea we were going to give her the money, it wasn’t like she was doing anything that she wouldn’t have done anyway," the woman said.
Michelle Schupbach lost her baby boy when he was just 5 months old. Over the years she's decided to partake in random acts of kindness in honor of her late baby's memory. Little Nash died suddenly from positional asphyxia at 5 months old at his daycare, his mother told TODAY. On what would have been his 9th birthday on January 9, Schupbach gave an unsuspecting waitress a $1,000 tip!
“Nashing,” as the family calls it, is performing random acts of kindness performed on the 9th of every month to pay tribute to late baby Nash. It is done not only by the Schupbach but people all over the world in an attempt to spread joy in Nash’s honor. “People were talking about my baby and honoring him with kindness, I wanted to be a part of it,” Schupbach shared. Nashing could include anything from surprising people with flowers at red lights to giving pizza delivery men large tips.
Traci Kaule was working a double shift at a Traverse City, Michigan Chili’s and was in for the surprise of a lifetime. When Schupbach's 7-year-old son, Crue saw the waitress he told his mom, “we need to Nash her.”
“She was so sweet, playing with Mack (Schupbach’s 6-month-old son) and talking to Crue,” Schupbach said. “Traci had no idea we were going to give her the money, it wasn’t like she was doing anything that she wouldn’t have done anyway, she was just being herself,” she added.
Kaule said it was the biggest tip she ever got. “As she was telling me her story I was just in awe,” she told the outlet. “I was so in shock. I wasn’t actually sure how to receive it, I’m more of a giver,” she confessed. What's more amazing is that Kaule spread the joy even further by giving some of the money to waitstaff at another restaurant and a friend recently widowed with four kids.
“I would not have gotten out of bed that day (when Nash would have been 6 months old) if it hadn’t been for other people’s support and them doing these acts of kindness,” Schupbach admitted. “I wouldn’t have been able to tip Traci without the help of others. I like to think that Nash’s legacy became what it is because of that amazing smile of his, but truly, Nash’s legacy became what it is because of other people’s kindness. His smile helped,” she added.
References:
https://www.today.com/parents/moms/mom-tipped-1000-honor-late-son-rcna66733
Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images
