I'm always amazed how people you've never met can show more compassion and generosity than the people you're closest to.
One example of this generosity:
When my son was a baby, he had this problem where he used to be able to crap right up to his hairline in less than a second. We'd be out and suddenly the smell would hit us or we'd hear him, and it'd be full change time. We went out to the Trafford Centre for the day and he did it 3 times and wasted his all but one of his spares. I was just changing him into his last outfit when he blasted that. I was out of clothes in the baby change area of the shops. I phoned my wife and asked her to buy him a new outfit, when this nice lady insisted I take a spare outfit of her son's.
What's sparked this thread though:
We lost our daughter in childbirth over christmas. It was a bad time for all, but we are starting to put our lives back together again.
We had to go last week and sort a headstone for her grave. We had quotes for the stone ranging from £950 up to over £2000. I wouldn't mind, but it's not even a big or particularly fancy one. It's also nice to know that places like the co-op can charge 100% more and seem respectable. Anyhow, we put £150 down and said we'd pay the rest off bit by bit. My wife mentioned it on her mums forum and within 24 hours people I'd never met had donated over £180.

And my own mother hasn't even replied to a text saying we'd ordered it.

Anyhow... rant / rave over. Thanks if you listened to me witter on.