I don’t usually post things like this, but today I feel like I need to share something that touched my heart in a big way. Sometimes it’s not the grand gestures that make the biggest impact—it’s the quiet, thoughtful ones. And this was one of those moments.

It happened on the 9th, over at my grandma’s house. It was a pretty regular afternoon. The kids—my two boys and my nephew—were outside playing in the yard like they always do when the weather is decent. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Then a car pulled up. A police cruiser.

Officer Wayne Llewellyn from Aynor stepped out and walked up to the house. He knocked, and when I answered, he politely asked if he could speak to the boys. Now, I’ll admit—I was a little caught off guard. My first thought was, “Did something happen?” But he was calm, respectful, and had this kind look in his eyes, so I trusted the moment and called the boys outside.

And that’s when I saw it.

He was holding a football.

He handed it to them, smiled, and said he thought they might enjoy playing with a real one. No fuss. No lecture. No performance. Just one human doing something quietly kind for another.

Turns out, he had driven by earlier and seen the kids playing—except they weren’t tossing around a football. They were using a pine cone.

Why? Because their football was locked in my car, and I had taken the car to the store. But the boys didn’t complain. They didn’t pout. They made the most of what they had. I hadn’t thought much of it at the time—kids are creative like that—but Officer Llewellyn did.

He saw them. Really saw them.

He saw kids finding joy in something small, and instead of driving by and smiling to himself, he went out of his way—on his own time—to pick up a football and bring it to them. No one asked. He just did it.

That small act meant the world to them. And to me.

Because it wasn’t just about the football. It was about someone in uniform taking the time to remind us all that kindness still exists. That empathy matters. That good people are still out there doing good things—not for recognition, not for praise—but because it’s who they are.

So I just want to say thank you—truly, thank you—to Officer Wayne Llewellyn. Thank you for being someone who chooses to act with kindness, even when no one is looking. Thank you for seeing kids not just as “somebody else’s children,” but as part of the community you serve.

In a world where we’re so often told what’s wrong, this reminded me what’s right.

And I think that’s worth sharing.