You never know when a selfless act of kindness performed for a complete stranger could transform into something incredibly powerful without your knowledge.

Joyce Rhinehart accompanied her nephew for ice cream after his tennis session. They saw a nice family enjoying ice cream together as they were leaving. The woman asked if she might take their picture since she suddenly had this strange need to.

According to Joyce’s Facebook post, “I took this picture, and then I gave my phone to their daughter, and I told her to send it to one of their phones.”

Joyce was surprised to get a phone message from an unknown number a few days after their brief but enjoyable encounter. He checked the message and felt a shiver run down his spine as he read it.

You took a picture of us in front of an ice cream shop on June 8th, dear lady. Since my wife died away yesterday, this is the final photo we have of my entire family. Accept my deepest gratitude for your considerate response. It is quite important to me. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

After hearing this message, which just left her shaken, Joyce kept in touch with her father and found out that the woman had been ill for a year. It’s incredible that I gave them this present, which now means the world to them, simply because I followed my gut that day, Joyce wrote in her post. My heart is now heavy because it is with this adorable family that I don’t even know, she added. “Never underestimate a beautiful gesture you make at random, apparently out of a whim of the moment,” she advised. I’m amazed.