In an earlier post, I mentioned how much I love surprising people. For our Good Friday, that’s exactly what happened.

A recycling center near our home, recycles paint, oils, all kind of chemicals. These guys work very hard in a hot, reeking, and dangerous environment. And yet, they’re always pleasant when we drop off our recyclables.  

A month ago when we dropped off some old paint and light bulbs, I had a light bulb moment myself. I went to that recycle center; a man approaches my window, with clipboard in hand.

“Afternoon sir, just pop the trunk and fill out the top portion.”

“You better check to see if you take all stuff I brought in.”

“If it came from your residence, and it’s chemicals, we take it,” he explained.

“Can you check, to make sure?”

“Yes sir.”

When he opened the rear door to our mini-van, I could see him in the rear-view mirror. He stood puzzled.

“Sir, I don’t understand,” he stood there staring down at the pizzas and sodas. He held his hands up, as if to ask, “What gives?”

“I wanted to buy you guys lunch today.”

A huge smile swept across his face.

Ah, the element of surprise.

He called over some other guys; they too were shocked.

Each man took off his glove and shook my hand and said “Thank you, thank you.”

One asked, “Why did you do this?”

“I wanted to show my appreciation for all the hard work you men do. Your contributions mean a lot to me and this community.”

As I drove out of the facility the men were smiling as they carried their lunch to the break room. A few miles down the road, the image of that moment burned in my mind. I could still see their surprise faces; truly, those are the moments I live for.

Tell us your Good Friday moment in the comments below!