This Heartwarming Friendship Between a Little Boy and an 89-Year-Old Will Make You Tear Up

By Andrea Fowler, REDBOOK.

It sounds cliché, but sometimes friendships really can form when you least expect it.

Take this story, for example. The Rychners lived next door to Erling Kindem for about 10 years with little to no interaction. Then, their 3-year-old son, Emmett, decided to start visiting his neighbor-and now he has a new best friend.

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Erling, an 89-year-old WWII veteran, started bonding with his young friend over his tomato patch. Erling told Kare 11, a local news station, that whenever he was out in his tomato garden, Emmett would trot over, saying "Erling, got any 'matoes?" The gardening soon turned into surprise post-nap croquet matches and lawn-mower races, Erling on his John Deer and Emmett on his toy version.

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Emmett's parents, Anika and Bryan, didn't know if the outdoor-activity-driven friendship would last through the winter, but once it started snowing, Anika saw Erling snow-blowing a path from his back door to theirs.

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"He's just taught him so much," says Anika, of her son's companion.


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