The innocence of children and the heartwarming smiles on their faces has magic like no other.

Sure, they can get a little too rowdy, and their moods aren’t always easy to keep up with, but beneath those lie the purest hearts and the best intentions.

Take it from parents everywhere.

A mother who runs on two hours of sleep and struggles to juggle everything on her list may feel like collapsing at the end of the day, but once her child wraps their little arms around her neck and plants sweet kisses on her cheek, the heavy emotions wane, and all but love remains.

This is the effect two-year-old Cohen had on Ryan Catterson.

Ryan is a pizza delivery man for Wicked Good Pizza.

When he dropped off Lindsey Sheely’s orders, little Cohen ran after him and said, “Bye-bye!”

Ryan thought it was just a sweet farewell.

Just as Ryan was about to leave, Cohen stretched his arms out, clearly asking for a hug.

The sweetest interaction was luckily captured on the Sheely’s doorbell camera.

Lindsey was so delighted by the exchange that she decided to share the video on Facebook and Instagram with a descriptive caption:

“Last night when we got our pizza (and ranch) delivered, Cohen ran out to hug the delivery guy and tried to give him a kiss, too! We thought it was so sweet and funny, then realized our doorbell might have caught the interaction on camera, and it did! I hope it gives you a good laugh and warms your heart like it did for us.”

But Cohen’s hug meant so much more.

Lindsey received a message from Ryan, who introduced himself as the pizza delivery guy.

He asked her if he could share the video, too.

Lindsey agreed, and as she checked his profile, she was surprised to see a GoFundMe set up for the funeral expenses of Ryan’s 16-year-old daughter, Alyssa.

Ryan had lost his daughter only a week before.

In two separate interviews, Ryan described how Cohen’s hug made him feel.

“After losing my daughter this past week, it touched me because it was like she was there. It really just meant a lot to me. It was the perfect timing for it, I had been telling my kids and the whole family how much I needed hugs before they came, and then that sweet little boy gave me one.”

Moved by what she had just learned, Lindsey decided to edit the caption on her post.

She included the GoFundMe link in her post.

“Through this, we found out that Ryan unexpectedly lost his daughter recently, and that hug from Cohen was a little blessing from God. I believe in divine appointments and know that Ryan was the one to deliver our pizza for a reason. If you feel inclined, please consider donating to his GoFundMe to help with funeral costs.”

Cohen’s gesture was what the grieving father had been needing.

He told WJAR:

“It was almost as if the universe or my daughter had known and sent it to me.”

In a message to Lindsey, Ryan gives a reminder all parents need to hear.

“If I could tell the world one thing, it’s to make sure you check on your kids constantly, because you never know what they might be struggling with internally.”

Learn more about this moving story by watching the video below!

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Source: Facebook – Lindsey Sheely, WJAR, Positive Outlooks