Stories of Kindness from Around the World

The Real Gift That the House Cleaner Appreciated


--by heartpath, posted Jan 10, 2017
This past Christmas, I wanted to give the woman who cleans my apartment a nice gift in appreciation. Since I know she doesn't have much money, I decided to write her a generous check so she could use it however she wanted, and enclosed it in an attractive large size card with a photo of a cat and dog on the cover (she loves animals).

The card came with a nice message, but I also added a personal message in which I thanked her for all the good services she's provided me, wished her the best for the coming year, and for her dreams coming true.

When I gave her the card with the check inside, tears of gratitude rolled down her face when she saw my message, before she even saw the check! She said, "You took the time to write me a personal message; now I feel really loved". I'm going to save this card for the rest of my life!" I felt so moved by her heartfelt response.

This reminded me that what people really want is to be acknowledged and appreciated, and to know that they matter. This is what's really important when giving a gift, not the monetary value....in this case obviously it wasn't about the money, it was about making a genuine heart connection.
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Readers Comments

michelelpurcel wrote: We are getting far away from doing hand written notes and appreciation. They still do mean so much. Thanks for starting this up and also reminding me at the same time.
patricia gordon wrote: I am a professor who used to clean houses and was not seeing or appreciate it
mindyjourney wrote: Your dear appreciation was the true gift, my friend :)). Thank you for doing and sharing with us.
Mnc_91 wrote: Thank you for doing. You inspire me with what you did :-)
Mish wrote: Yes, this is so true. Well done by you! She will always remember this.
healingtree wrote: An impt point, and such a loving act. The lady sounds lovely too
leoladyc728 wrote: wonderful gift to your housekeeper.
pyronik wrote: so true. whilst I bet the check came in handy, taking the time to write a personalised note, & to use an animal card when you know she likes animals also shows you took the time to think about it. :-)
Rajni wrote: Giving our heart is the greatest gift we can give without losing it. Other things will be gone with time but the feeling remains forever. Thanks for sharing inspiring post.
kjoyw wrote: Wonderful gift! She will always appreciate this!

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