LEBANON, Tenn. (WTVF) — When Clara Waynick went to pick up her daughter's birthday cake, she was surprised to learn a random person already paid for it.
The box of cake also came with a balloon and a heartfelt card explaining the reason behind the random act of kindness. She learned the card came from Shelia Weathers who wanted to remember her friend's 17-month-old girl Sadie Davis, who died of acute leukemia cancer in 2012. Sadie shared the same birthday as Waynick's daughter.
"I almost cried but it was so surreal," Waynick told NewsChannel 5. "No matter what you believe in, there's a higher power that connects people for whatever reason."
Waynick posted the story on Facebook and quickly connected with Weathers, who have been performing similar kind gestures each year since Sadie's death. Sadie's mother encouraged her friends and the community to pay it forward as a way to honor her little girl.
But for the last three years, Weathers has been buying cakes for other people with another name to remember. In 2017, her daughter Katie died in a wreck on the interstate. Katie was Sadie's daycare teacher, and the two were inseparable. They were so close that Katie was buried only six feet apart from Sadie.
"It's not a blessing that my daughter has passed away but he [God] has blessed us in the midst of the hurt, pain and grief. We want to give people hope," Weathers said.
In a strange twist, Sadie's mother Amber Davis remembered her this year by releasing a balloon. She unknowingly bought the same balloon Weathers bought for Waynick's daughter, which read "shine" on the side. Interestingly, Amber started #ShineonSadie after her death.
Waynick said whatever the reason was, the cake was a heartwarming sign that served a bigger reminder.
"I'm three years recovering from addiction and I almost died a couple of times on my daughter's birthday three years ago, so I think maybe she's showing me that God does have a plan for my life and I don't have to be the same person three years ago," Waynick added.
