“I saw the lady at the window looking out, I thought it would be a kind gesture just to tell her to get well.”
The ironworker, Jeff Reick, was inspired and decided that a simple wave just wasn’t enough. He was able to find some chalk, and in large letters, he wrote “GET WELL” on one of the beams facing Gloria’s window.
“I just thought that was precious.”
This spontaneous expression of tenderness touched Gloria and put a smile on her face. Gloria, being moved with gratitude, decided to send a message of her own. She had been watching the workers for some time and was particularly concerned when they climbed the scaffolding on one cold and windy day.
The nursing staff helped her to find some paper on which she penned her concerns and care with two simple words: STAY SAFE. Gloria placed the sign in the window where the workers could see it.
“That sign kind of crushed me. I don’t know how she knew ‘Stay safe’, It’s kind of like ironworker lingo to stay safe. When I saw ‘Stay safe,’ in the window, I kind of snapped my head around and said (to my coworkers), ‘Did you see that?’”
What started out as a dull, dreary day for both Gloria and Jeff, turned into a bright and cheery day that all started with a wave and a simple word of encouragement.
Jeff put it best when he said,
“I just try to lead by example and be a good person. I just hope everybody would do things like that because the world is not a very nice place,”
The hospital staff and the ironworkers both took photos of the messages before Gloria was released from the hospital. News of the incident spread quickly, and the priceless exchange of kindness and care sparked hope and generosity in someone else.
The very next day, a woman came by the construction site to deliver an envelope. Inside the envelope was money to buy lunch for the construction workers. Kindness spreads quickly. Jeff didn’t go looking for someone to be kind to, he saw a need right in front of him and he stepped up to fulfill that need, and Gloria returned the favor.
You never know who you might connect with today. Make it count just like Jeff and Gloria did.
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