A Breakfast of Gratitude

By Maria Solita Zaldivar-Guzman

Sometimes, the most meaningful acts of kindness come in the simplest forms, like sharing a breakfast and making someone feel remembered.

Robert Hicks and Lel Reyes Hicks of the Mad Dog Motorcycle Club, Philippines shared McDonald’s breakfast meals with random tricycle drivers, security personnel, and members of the Kalibo Auxiliary Police on September 23.

At the heart of this beautiful gesture is Robert, a foreign retiree residing in Kalibo, whose spirit of generosity and appreciation continues to inspire those around him. Together with his wife, Lel, a Kalibonhon, Robert has shown that giving back does not always have to be grand or complicated. Sometimes, it simply means stopping for a moment and making someone feel that they matter.

For the tricycle drivers who help people get where they need to go, the security personnel who help keep communities safe, and the auxiliary police who serve on the streets, the breakfast was more than just a meal. It was a small but heartfelt recognition of their everyday efforts.

That simple meal created moments of connection, brightened someone’s morning, and reminded everyone that kindness can be shared in the most unexpected ways. More importantly, it showed that a single act of generosity can inspire others to pay kindness forward.

The Hicks couple reminds us that generosity is not measured by how much we give, but by the heart with which we give it.

And sometimes, a shared breakfast can become a powerful reminder that kindness, gratitude, and compassion can bring a community closer together.