Last December I had just had my second surgery on my eye, I had barely started to get anything from my short-term disability so I was scrambling to pay several bills, I had no independence and had to have other people take me everywhere and be with me almost constantly. It was a very difficult time for me physically and emotionally.
One afternoon one of my co-workers brought his wife and their brand new baby to visit. It was the Monday before Christmas and they brought me a card. I didn't really care much about the card, but it was so good to see some friends! Even so, I opened the card and as I pulled it out, multiple bills spilled out onto my couch. I looked up at Devin and said, "What is this?" because I know what kind of money we make.
"The card isn't from us," he quickly explained, "it's from work. We just brought it up to see you."
I am not one to cry in front of people and I was more interested in the baby and her parents than the money, so I stuffed it back in the card and put it to the side. Devin and Liz happily let me hold their sweet Maggie while we visited. I am really foggy about what we talked about, but I was happy. Having them share their baby and their time with me meant so much right then.
After Devin and his little family left, I picked the envelope up again. The card was made special for me by one of my co-workers and many of them had written their well wishes and names. I felt so loved at a time that was so bleak! It gave me a happy heart!
As I counted the money, the first person I thought of was another co-worker, Chris, who had suffered a minor stroke just two weeks after I had been hit. I had $350 in my hand - more than too much - and I was wondering if I shouldn't be sharing it. I called a couple of family members to tell them what had happened and I couldn't help it, the tears flowed freely!
Later on, I found out the rest of the story. LaNae had made Chris and I both cards on her computer and had asked our manager, Nathan, if a collection could be taken to help his family and mine have a better Christmas. In a matter of a few days, during a time of economic stress and holiday spending, they had collected $700. Two of our co-workers volunteered to deliver our two cards and they wanted to make sure we had the money before Christmas to help out.
My family had a wonderful Christmas this year. We were showered with blessings from friends, family and strangers. My best present, however, had been the caring that had been shown by some of the most wonderful people on the planet!Chris and his wife sat with me and my father at our January banquet and safety meeting. Our manager, Nathan, stood up to talk about our organization and how impressed he had been with his employees. We had some corporate people attending. As he related this story from his perspective, my eyes filled. I looked over at Chris and his wife, they were also holding back tears.
That small act of kindness touched more hearts, opened up more hope, and meant far more to me than the value of the money inside. Bless them all!
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