Last summer I took my dad on his first trip to the UK. It would also be our last trip together, but I didn't know that at the time. He had a heart condition and wasn't in the best health, but he died very suddenly in December.

We were taking a 3 hour train journey out of London. I reserved seats at a table to ensure my dad could stretch his bad leg out. When we got to the table a French family was sitting there--mom and dad and two small kids. I told them they were sitting at our seats and they gestured to the lights overhead indicating that they were green, which meant the seats were available. I showed him our tickets showing our seat reservations and they shrugged. We tried to sit at another table in the car and another family boarding said it belonged to them. I went back to our seats and told the husband that we needed those seats and he laughed at me. He laughed at me in front of my parents and the whole train.

The car was full, so I told my parents to wait in the aisle so I could search for seats. I tried to find seats together but there weren't any. I tried to find an employee but there was no one--I searched every car. Eventually I found two seats in the same car--and I helped my parents walk 4 cars down to it and stood until a seat became available for me. Having to stand for so long on the train and walking through the crowded carriages was hard on my dad.

I find myself thinking about that situation a lot and it makes me cry. It was a hard day in what would be the last year of my dad's life and a day in which no one would help me. And now one of the only people I could rely on is gone forever.

Sometimes the world doesn't feel safe or friendly. Since my dad died those days feel more frequent.

Kindness is free, everyone.