“Everyone, meet Mr. Gino. The world’s nicest public works employee and my 3-year-old’s best pal. Mr. Gino has been working our trash and recycling route since before we moved here 2 years ago. Every Wednesday and Thursday, he drives their truck down our back alley, beeps his horn so we know they’re coming, and hops out of his truck to talk to our family. Even my in-laws (who live out of state but visit periodically) know Mr. Gino, that’s how friendly he is.
This morning our doorbell rang and Gino and his wife were on our porch, bearing gifts for our triplets and this trash truck (which we have coincidentally been looking for in every store for weeks). His wife hand painted the City of Orlando logo on the side and stickered Gino’s truck number and Dougy (the nickname the guys yell out when they come down the alley and see us in the yard) on the front.
To say they made my little guy’s day is a giant understatement. And I stood there watching all of this joy unfold on my porch while holding back some big pregnancy hormone tears.
Sometimes friendship can come from surprising places—never underestimate the power of kindness and how much you can affect someone’s day.”
Credit: Brittany Werth, Gino Stovall