I will never get tired of seeing people being kind to strangers, or just being kind in general. Yesterday the AC went out in our hospice house. Thankfully it wasn’t a serious problem and it was a very easy fix but leading up to that is something that will stay in my heart always.
At 3:00pm, I called the Air Conditioning company who said they closed at 4:30pm and “IF” they could get someone to come out, it would be overtime. She didn’t think she could find someone that late. I admit it; I played the “Hospice” card and said we had patients and families that needed the air conditioning on as soon as possible. She promised to call me back to let me know if they were able to find someone. About 30 minutes later I received the call that someone would be there in 1-2 hours. I was just grateful someone was coming out, so I didn’t ask any questions about the “who” or the “why” or the “how”.
About 5:30pm a repairman showed up. We started talking and he told me that when he heard it was a Hospice house, he offered to come despite the fact that he was already on his way home to be with his family. His mother-in-law passed away a few years ago and the Hospice team that cared for her was so wonderful he wanted to give back. He knew our patients needed the AC and that was a priority for him. He fixed the problem and the air was on. He offered to stay until the house cooled to make sure everything was working okay. I offered him coffee, which he accepted. I offered to make it, but he said he saw the coffee maker at the coffee station and could make it himself. This kindness story doesn’t stop here.
After about 10 minutes, I could hear him talking so I went out to see whom he was talking to. The daughter of a patient was out in the dining area; she had come to the coffee station and was clearly crying. He saw her in tears, and asked if she was okay. She felt safe and comfortable with him, so shared her story. By the time I walked out, he was hugging her. She thanked him for the hug and as she passed by me to go sit with her mom, she said to me “he was so kind”. When I went over to him, he immediately apologized for talking to her, he said she came up to him; he was worried that he had done something wrong. I reassured him that he did nothing wrong, that his heart is a beautiful heart and he was at the right place at the right time and provided her with exactly what she needed at the time. I walked him out to his truck and watched as he tried to wipe away a tear without me seeing. I put my arm on his shoulder and said, “I get it… it happens to me every day”. He thanked me for what we do and left.
Shortly after that, the daughter he had spoken to earlier came to apologize for “interfering” with our work that was being done, she said she was just so emotional and couldn’t stop crying and he was so kind and supportive. I told her she had nothing to apologize for, that I was just happy that he was there at the right time.
Be kind to others, it’s easy to do
Be kind to others and they will be kind to you
Share you heart, lend an ear
Give a hug, comfort tears
Your kindness matters, it’s a true gift indeed
Be kind to someone, when you see a need
Or just be kind in general, it comforts the soul
Days can be hard; pain takes a toll
Imagine if your kindness removed sadness or pain
Imagine the comfort that person would gain
Be kind to others… it’s easy to do
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