We can all agree that the pandemic came unexpectedly and disrupted the most usual routines of millions of people around the world. And if some of us get to simply stay home under these circumstances, others continue working for our comfort even in these turbulent times. So today’s story will be about a person whose work has been recognized by hundreds of people. So what is it that he did to earn their appreciation?
Well, first things first. Anthony Gaskin is an ordinary driver for the UPS delivery service who just did his job day after day. However, that was before the terrifying coronavirus pandemic. When the difficult times came. The driver kept on working, delivering thousands of packages to the residents of Hallsley, a small town in Virginia, USA.
You might say there’s nothing special about it, but in fact, this man worked tirelessly day and night, and despite the risk of getting infected, he always did it with a smile on his face.
There was a time when we weren’t allowed to leave our houses. Many people we knew were gone, a neighbor who had been our family’s friend for a long time got sick, and a few days later we found out that he passed away. Ambulances were speeding around one after another, and we just watched them out of our windows, too scared to go out.
It was a tough time and nobody knew what was going to happen next, and the only person who managed to unite all the town’s residents was this ordinary delivery man.
It wasn’t until we faced hard times that we came to appreciate the importance of simple things like ordering food, getting a package, sending medication to our relatives, etc… That’s when we saw the value of Anthony Gaskin’s job. Without him, we would be unable to do any of these things, and he was the one to come to our rescue.
I remember my neighbors needed medication for their child and they didn’t have a clue how to get it. And guess who helped out? It was Anthony. He was part of our lives, even long after his work hours would end, he gave up his free time and just helped anyone out he could.
We couldn’t even think of a way to thank him, but we knew for sure that we wouldn’t have managed without him. Besides, he never lost faith. He would always cheer us up and say something uplifting, and every one of us was waiting for his visits, just like children waiting for Santa.
Anthony didn’t just deliver packages, he always asked people what else he could do for them.
“When the pandemic subsided a little, I gathered all the neighbors and suggested thanking Anthony to show him how much we appreciated his daily visits,” says a resident of Halley, Patty Friedman.
So what did the Hallsley residents come up with? It has never been done in their neighborhood before. The so-called celebration was planned for December 15, on this day, hundreds of Hallsley residents gathered at the roadside waiting for Anthony’s arrival to show appreciation for his work and the fact that he never refused to help people, even in his spare time and despite all the risks.
More than a 100 cars lined up along the road waiting for the delivery man to appear in sight. And when they saw the headlights of his van, something incredible began. As soon as the van came into town, the children began shouting out the driver’s name. Adults were honking their horns, ringing bells, and holding posters with words of gratitude for his work. Even the management decided to support their employee and prepared a present for him.
Naturally, he couldn’t understand what was going on, and he certainly didn’t see that coming. Just imagine yourself in his place. But when he saw his name on the posters, he could barely hold back the tears. “I will never forget that day. I didn’t even think that so many people appreciated my work. When I saw what they had prepared for me, I was both shocked and excited. You might not believe it, but I was so deeply touched by their gesture that I started weeping like a baby,” Anthony Gaskins recalled enthusiastically.
It is no secret that the coronavirus pandemic has made everybody look at the world from a different angle. There are so many ordinary things that we can no longer do. Many people are forced to stay home.
But despite it all, Delivery workers like Anthony worked from dawn till dusk so that people can get their packages on time. That’s why the Hallsley residents decided to show Anthony their appreciation for his work and let him know he deserved hundreds and thousands of cheers.
We should note that the thank you parade for Anthony Gaskin hasn’t gone unnoticed. Photos of this beautiful event soon became viral, and many people around the globe got to comment on them. Some just dropped a line saying how lucky the residents of the town were, others wrote lengthy gratitude-filled posts.
As the town’s people mention Anthony took responsibility for their lives. He was like a supervisor for the whole town. He never showed how tired he was, always smiling and being there for others. They promised to come up with a plan for how to reward him when these hard times are over. Because he does deserve to get rewarded.
Well, this is the end of this unusual story, a story of an ordinary delivery man who didn’t just manage to unite the residents of the entire town, but also to become very close to all of them without even knowing it. And it happened simply because he cared.
What do you think? Should such people be acknowledged, or are they simply doing their job? Please leave your thoughts in the comments.