Two awesome strangers brought gifts for a newborn baby after receiving a misdirected text
A text directed to the wrong person brought two families together in a very heartwarming way.

Mark and Lindsey Lashley welcome their child with new friends.
What happens when the proudest moment of a parent's life is also the strangest?
Just ask Mark and Lindsey Lashley from Georgia.
On March 19, they welcomed their first child Cason, a healthy baby boy, into the world. Nothing out of the ordinary there.
Then Cason's grandmother decided to send a text to family members about her newest bundle of joy. Again, nothing unusual there either.
But when that text went to a stranger named Dennis Williams, and he decided to join in on the celebration, things became even more interesting. Check out the exchange below.
The group text that started it all.
Photo from Deorick Williams's Facebook page.
And just like that, the Williams brothers arrived at the hospital with gifts and well-wishes for the new mom and dad.
The following note from the Lashley family was posted on Williams' Facebook page praising the brothers' kindness and generosity for providing a small token to a family they didn't even know a few hours beforehand.
The best sentiment from the Lashleys:
"If we all only had this kind of heart.”
This hilarious and heartwarming story is going viral for all the right reasons.
Plenty of stats and polls point to a depressing truth: Our world is becoming more and more divided by racial, ethnic, religious, and cultural lines.
But it's easy to forget just how far we've come:
Two random black dudes showed up in the hospital room of a white family to provide gifts and love to their newborn baby, and the Internet universally loved it. That, in itself, is an epic feat.
These families will be connected forever due to a random act of kindness that warmed the hearts of millions.
Not to mention, when baby Cason grows up, his parents will have one amazing birth story to share with him.
But first, let's share this great story with everyone who needs a smile.
This article was originally published on 3.22.16
- Baby elephants don't know how to control their trunks - Upworthy ›
- Video of kid meeting his baby brother is making everyone cry - Upworthy ›
- Mom plays Lil Jon's 'Get Low' to get baby to stop crying - Upworthy ›
- Video: Three men attempting to close stroller is sitcom funny - Upworthy ›
- Tired mom asks parents if they really 'miss the newborn phase' - Upworthy ›
- Father's viral post explains why every parent should create an email address for their newborn baby - Upworthy ›
- A guy's totally random text in the 1990s ended in marriage - Upworthy ›
- Woman sees mom struggling with crying baby at nail salon, offers to hold her - Upworthy ›
- You know, they didn't always put a plastic baby in a king cake. Here's why they did. - Upworthy ›
- Police called on dad and baby after he's mistaken for homeless - Upworthy ›
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."