Retired Teacher Pays for Stranger’s Groceries Before Making a Shocking Discovery About His True Identity

Retired Teacher Pays for Stranger’s Groceries Before Making a Shocking Discovery About His True Identity

It's no secret that the world can turn around even with the smallest gestures. It only takes one moment to change your life and the lives of everyone around you. And the world's desperately in need of kindness and positivity.

One particular woman chose to do a small act of kindness, having no idea who the recipient was of her good deed.

What she thought was a simple act of kindness turned out to be one of the most memorable moments of her life and her story quickly went viral.

Ruth Reed is a retired teacher from Medford, New Jersey. She’s just a regular everyday person who lives a quiet and humble life with her husband.

The two spend a lot of time together and they decided to regularly perform small acts of kindness throughout the day.

A particularly small pact they pledged is to exhibit generosity as much as possible and wherever possible. And while there were many acts throughout the years, Reed couldn't have imagined that one of them would make her famous.

Ruth Reed's day started out like most other days in her life. The New Jersey native woke up and headed to her local Wawa convenience store.

Wawa is very famous shopping chain in the east coast it can be found in most major cities on this side of the country.

Reed wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary to happen when she walked into the convenience store and she had no idea that she was about to experience something amazing.

Local stores are somewhat of a get-together place and it's not unlikely to run into someone you know while shopping at them. If you live nearby and go to the same grocery stores on a regular basis, it's not uncommon to see some familiar faces while doing your weekly shop.

But this fateful morning, Ruth Reed wasn't just going to see someone that she knew, she was about to run into a face the whole world was familiar with.

She couldn't have known that her simple act of kindness would reach the entire globe.

Reed found all that she needed and she was ready to finish her routine morning shopping. She stepped to the checkout counter and was ready to pay when she noticed something happening up front.

It looked like a man paying for his groceries was having trouble with the payment process.

This can be very stressful, especially if there's a big line behind you waiting to finish their shopping.

Luckily for him, Ruth Reed was standing in the same line and she was ready to help.

When Reed saw the customer up front struggling to make the payment for his groceries, she decided to step up and help the stranger.

In normal situations, when you bring groceries to the counter and don’t have the means to pay, you return some or all the groceries and you only buy what you can pay for.

What's great about Ruth Reed is that this wasn't some random or impulsive act of kindness—it was a decision she made with her husband a long time ago. They pledged to always help people in need at the grocery store.

While they help everyone, they especially want to help soldiers and veterans as a sign of appreciation for their service.

"We decided when we saw military people we would treat them at Wawa or Dunkin Donuts or whatever," said Reed in an interview with CBS Philly.

It goes without saying that the Reeds were committed to this life of generosity and charity.

After witnessing the man’s struggle to process the payment, Reed did not waste any time. She jumped to the front of the line and she offered to pay for the groceries.

"It looked like he was using a card, and it didn't go through,” Reed explained. “And then he asked a young lady for five dollars, and I thought, ‘this is it.’ So I said, 'No, I'll get it.’”

It was just like any other day, and she paid no attention to the identity of the customer. An opportunity to help someone presented itself, and she jumped right in.

After this incredible gesture, the customer at the counter seemed eternally grateful and he kept thanking Reed. The two continued to chat and Reed noticed something awfully familiar about his face. He eventually told her his name was Keith.

Funnily enough, he had the same name and he looked exactly like the country singer Keith Urban. But what are the chances of running into a celebrity like this? It had to be a random look-alike customer.

The more Reed talked to the stranger, the more he she thought that he looked like the country singer. But Reed just couldn’t believe her eyes, and at one point, she even told him he looked exactly like Keith Urban.

The man laughed and replied that he was Keith Urban! Reed was stumped and she couldn't believe that she was standing next to the country star.

Surely a celebrity with the status of Keith Urban would shop at a more high-profile store. Plus, he couldn't possible have needed someone to pay for his groceries.

Reed’s skepticism grew, and even though the man looked exactly like him, she refused to believe that she’d met up with a celebrity at her local store.

She kept talking to the man and asking him questions in the hopes of revealing his true identity. She even asked him where his wife Nicole Kidman was.

Surely the celebrity power couple would do their shopping together at some high-profile spot.

Reed was still unsure if the customer was Keith Urban and she was more determined than ever to find out.

Excited by the possibility of chatting with a world-famous celebrity, Reed became completely oblivious to her surroundings. But as she continued to ask questions, she noticed something in the background that made everything clear. She saw bodyguards that surrounded this mysterious stranger.

It suddenly became evident that the man was telling the truth. He was indeed country legend Keith Urban! Wow, what were the chances?

Reed explained her reaction in an interview with NBC Philly, “I just fell apart. And he was so gracious.”

What are the chances of going shopping at a local grocery store and bumping into a high-profile celebrity like Keith Urban and then paying for his groceries?

Now that Reed confirmed his identity, she was totally embarrassed by the whole situation. She openly doubted him and asked him all sorts of questions to uncover the truth. But the popular country singer wasn’t fazed or offended by this at all.

In fact, he probably found it amusing because it's hard to believe that you’d run into a mega-celebrity in a local store.

When Reed finally realized that she was in the presence of Keith Urban, she was shocked. The man was who he said he was and he happened to be one of the most popular country music stars in the world.

Throughout his successful career, Keith Urban's had a ton of chart-topping singles and albums.

The country music singer spends a lot of his time in New Zealand and Australia, but he's still managed to become a huge star in the United States.

Besides the fame, Urban managed to amass a vast fortune thanks to his numerous hits and achievements in the country music industry.

On top of this, he's married to Nicole Kidman, an equally successful and wealthy celebrity actress.

There's no doubt that the Urban-Kidman household is financially secure. So why did Urban need help from a complete stranger at the convenience store?

Surely, they are rich enough to buy the Wawa store chain, let alone pay for the groceries.

Life can be funny sometimes. It turns out that no matter how much money you have in the bank or how big your credit card limit is, sometimes it just isn’t enough. You never know when you'll have an unlucky day of not being able to pay for your groceries.

As it turns out on that fateful day, Urban only had $10 in his wallet. Since he brought groceries that cost more, he took out his credit card to pay for the rest. Unfortunately, the system was down, and his payment wasn’t able to go through.

It's interesting that Urban remained down-to-earth and humble, despite his mega-stardom and popularity. Most celebrities of his status have people that do the shopping for them. But Keith Urban wanted to show everyone that he's still just a normal guy that can end up in awkward situations like the rest of us.

Not only was he shopping at a local grocery store, but he also got caught unprepared and he wasn’t able to pay for his groceries due to a system crash. No amount of wealth and fame could help him with this. But a certain lady named Ruth Reed could.

While Keith Urban showed everyone that he’s just a regular guy, Ruth Reed, on the other hand, showed everyone that she’s anything but ordinary.

Most of us like to believe we would help out someone in need, but the reality is, not everyone is ready to walk the walk. However, Ruth Reed was and she jumped in on the situation faster than anyone else could. She wasn’t in it for the fame or special prizes, it was just the way she lived her life.

Urban was so impressed by this little lady, who at first glance didn’t even recognize him, that he wanted to do something for her in return.

After the whole situation passed, Urban was keen on repaying her kindness, but Reed wanted none of it.

She wasn’t doing this because he was Keith Urban, the world-famous country singer. Rather, she did it because it made her feel good and this was how she chose to live her life—she enjoyed helping other people and brightening someone else's day.

She wasn’t aiming for a special reward or recognition and she would’ve done it for anyone. This impressed Urban even more.

Reed asked the country singer for a quick photo with her new celebrity friend. For her, this was the ultimate prize.

Seeing how she initially struggled to believe it was actually him, she wanted proof that she met the real-life Keith Urban.

Urban gladly agreed to pose for a photo with Reed and the two of them snapped a photo together outside the convenience store.

We can't even begin to imagine how shocked Reed’s friends and family must've been when they saw the photo of her with the country music star!

Such an amazing experience had to be shared with her loved ones. After she sent the photo to her friends and family, Reed decided to post it on her social media accounts as well. And just when she thought her day couldn’t get any better or more exciting, she went viral!

Her post was shared thousands of times and she received incredible comments from people in her community. Some of them commented on how Keith Urban was the lucky one, as he met “one of the nicest ladies in Medford.”

Reed’s popularity didn’t stop in the comment section—she caught the attention of the media and various news stations like CBS Philly.

They contacted Reed and wanted to do a full interview on the situation and that wasn’t all. The story went so viral that it even reached Urban’s hometown in Australia and New Zealand.

This amazing show of generosity was featured on the radio program The Kyle & Jackie O Show. Ruth Reed, an ordinary lady from Medford, was suddenly popular throughout the world and everyone was in awe of her generosity.

This simple act of generosity was appreciated by many viewers and reporters. But it was not the only the story that went viral. It seems that kindness was catching on as well. The owners of the Wawa wanted to show their appreciation and honor the good deed.

So, they offered a free cup of coffee for all customers in hopes that a happy occurrence that day would continue to spread. Perhaps it will even inspire others to step up and help people in need.

The news spread really fast in the small town of Medford. Naturally, everyone was very excited and touched by this story. However, not everyone was surprised. After all, Ruth Reed was a lady known for her random acts of generosity.

She tries to do something good every day, simply because she enjoys the feeling of satisfaction afterward. She never exposed herself or sought recognition. For this reason alone, her closest friends and her loving family were not surprised when the news went viral.

One of the reasons why people weren’t completely surprised by this act is because of Reed’s previous work as a middle school teacher. She dedicated her life to help, guide, and teach new generations.

But she never kept this lifestyle hidden in the classroom. She let it out into the world and she showed kindness whenever possible. After all, teachers dedicate their lives to inspiring young children and it comes as no surprise that they’d want to show kindness in all aspects of their life.

The story became such a hit that it started to inspire people to do better and make the world a nicer place. It reached beyond the people working at Wawa and living in Medford.

Besides kindness, it caused a massive outpour in creativity. It inspired Carly Tefft, an aspiring country singer and songwriter, to write a song about the event.

Tefft also happens to be a close friend of Keith Urbans and she felt so uplifted that she decided to honor the act by writing a song.

Ruth Reed had no problem helping others and spending her own money in the process. She never asked for anything in return.

Her kindness was repaid tenfold. As it turns out, MasterCard decided to honor Reed upon hearing the story. They approached her on Twitter and told her that they sent a year’s supply of prepaid cards that she can use at any time to help people in need.

It almost became a movement as they wrote, “Your next 52 acts of kindness are on us” using the hashtag "#StartSomethingPriceless."

The story that started in the small town of Medford eventually grew bigger than anyone could've ever imagined. It's not only an important reminder that we're all humans, regardless of our status, but that kindness can be incorporated in everyday life.

Additionally, these acts can inspire other people to do good. It's a domino effect that can make the world a more positive place. Many people started these random acts of kindness after hearing Reed’s story, including one person that paid for a whole dinner for an elderly woman in a restaurant.

No one could believe what would come out of a routine grocery shopping, especially Ruth Reed. She's a humble and modest person and she got really excited about the story going viral.

For her, it wasn’t about getting the appreciation or recognition. She felt like a teacher again as she inspired others to do random acts of kindness that could make someone’s days.

Being a part of something so huge was the biggest reward she could possibly ask for, which is part of the reason she started doing acts of kindness to begin with.

After everything that happened, most people wonder what’s the next step for Ruth Reed? What could ever top this achievement? But for her, it’s not about the praise or outdoing herself. It's about the opportunity to do good and feel satisfied inside.

She doesn’t need to go viral as this is something she simply enjoys doing. For her, the future looks much like it did before she met Keith Urban—she'll continue doing acts of kindness for others.

Ditto for me. Worked at a five-star resort in Hawaii for a few years. There were always celebrities there, including royalty at times.

Except for a couple people, most were charming. One of them even jumped in to help my co-worker and me set up chairs for an event and he could see we were running a little behind.

The writer managed to really stretch this tiny tale, it went on and on and on repetitively.

It's a standard clickbait story with the text pulled from the endless stream of photos and accompanying ads that you have to scroll through until you learn not to bother.

I suppose people get paid good money to produce these. They take a three sentence story and stretch it for 20 pages.

And they often still don't get to the point. Keith Urban's card not working is not a big deal. We've all had "system down" situations from time to time. I do wonder why Keith Urban was only carrying one card. I have a primary card that I use for almost everything; the hook on this card is travel miles that never expire as long as the card is active, and they do add up. But I wouldn't dream of traveling without a backup card as well.

The bigger unanswered question is why one of Keith Urban's bodyguards, who are referenced in the story, didn't step in. You would think that would be automatic.

never heard of him either.

my mother in the late 90s was asked to join a golf group to make a 4some one of the guys was Kevin Costner.

she had no clue who he was since we had no TV and the last movie she watched was ‘chariots of fire’

‘oh you are a movie star, that is so neat. anything I might have heard of? nope no, no, no, no. oh well good luck I hope you make it someday

Keith Urban? Bah! Let me tell you about the time I met Keith Hernandez at a gas station. I was behind him in line at the cashier. His bill was $5.01 and he only had a five and a twenty. Well, I sprung into action and handed him a penny from the “leave a penny” tray. He was so grateful that he let me help him move later that day. Wasn’t a bad experience except that Roger McDowell came by and spit on us.

Oh, yeah. Nicole Kidman, Medford, Medford, Nicole Kidman, Nicole Kidman, Medford.

While living in North Carolina, I heard a good story about a clerk who was hired to work in a convenience store near Concord. The owner was a woman who lived near the Charlotte Motor Speedway and was a big NASCAR fan. She told the new clerk to never accept a check. “I don’t care if Jesus himself tries to use a check, you don’t take checks.”

One day a man comes in grabs a six pack and some candy. The guy fumbles in his pockets and can’t come up with enough money. The clerk immediately recognizes him, Richard Petty. He asks the clerk if he’ll take a check. “I’m sorry, no.” —You recognize me don’t you? “Yes, Mr. Petty, but the owner won’t allow me to take checks.”

When the clerk recounts the story to the owner, she berates him for not getting Richard Petty’s autograph on a check.

I was in beautiful Zagreb, Croatia years ago, walking down the street ahead of two elderly Nuns.

I was walking with my friend from Seattle who was Croatian-American.

A young, thin girl, about 17 years old or so, was to the side of us near the curb of the street with a young boy. She was asking for money as she said she and her brother were hungry. My friend kept me walking straight past her and we stepped aside and looked back as he explained to me to never give money to those asking on the street because they were being used by someone in the background who couldn’t be seen.

I felt bad. But as I stood there looking at the young girl asking passersby for money, the two nuns walked over to her.

They did something that was a simple but important lesson that has remained with me since.

They wore simple dresses, but I could tell they were Catholic Nuns because of their headdress. They were carrying midsized bags with straps made out of some soft material of sorts.

When the young girl begged the Nuns for money, the Nuns shook their heads No, I was told by my friend the Nuns said, “Money, No”, and then they reached into their bags and brought out loaves of bread to give the girl and the boy.

I never forgot it.

When I got back to Seattle and witnessed the growing homelessness around me, I’d go to the market and see someone near the entrance asking for money, and I would ignore them. But inside the store, I went to the bakery section and selected a fresh baguette of bread to purchase, which on exit I would give to the beggar near the entrance.

A friend’s extended family went to a resort in Florida. One of the dads went to the bar for awhile. He came back and told he sat and talked to one of the football coaches from Alabama. The family, full of Bama grads and fans, asked him which one. The guy answers Nick someone. He spent a half hour talking with Nick Sabin about regular things with no clue who he is.

Writing style reminds me of a 4th grade book report when the kid is trying to stretch out the word count.

This: "Excited by the possibility of chatting with a world-famous celebrity, Reed became completely oblivious to her surroundings. But as she continued to ask questions, she noticed something in the background that made everything clear. She saw bodyguards that surrounded this mysterious stranger.

Shoulda been this: "Surrounded by Urban's bodyguards, Reed chatted with the celebrity."

Reminds me of a story.

“Two ‘country hicks’ came to Harvard and wanted to talk with the president dressed in old clothes like straw hat and her dress looked like burlap. A haughty secretary resisted the couple and made them wait for hours.

In exasperation, she finally asked the president to see the visitors, which he did if for no other reason to get rid of them. The couple told him their son had attended Harvard for a year and he had loved it, but had been killed in an accident and they wanted to build a memorial to him. The president tried to discourage them, saying they couldn’t erect a memorial to every student who had died. The couple said they were thinking of donating for an entire building in their son’s honor.

The president, again, tried to discourage them by pointing out how much it would cost to erect a building and how much all of the buildings at Harvard were worth. So in the presence of the Harvard president, the lady stood and started leaving commenting to her husband, who she referred to as Leland, “if that was all it took to build a university, they ought to construct their own.” So…Mr. and Mrs. Leland Stanford went home to Palo Alto, California, and built a school in honor of their son … a memorial to a student that Harvard no longer cared about.”

Forest/trees

wy69

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