When you think about our military, what first comes to mind? Most likely, you think about how these brave men and women risk their lives for the good of our country.
But there is another side of the story that’s often left untold.
These soldiers have lives, homes, and families from which they have torn apart for long periods of time. It’s extremely tough on both sides, but military families do what they can to push through.
For a military wife, Bridget Stevens, that story is far too familiar.
It was winter in her Pennsylvania home, and a broken heater left her and her children freezing.
Although she was short on money, she had no choice but to contact Betlyn’s Heating and Cooling to fix the problem.
After attempting to trouble-shoot the issue over the phone, nothing was working. So the owner of the company, Paul, told the troubled mother that he was on his way to fix her heater. When he arrived, Bridget explained that her husband normally helps with household repairs.
But the problem was– her husband was away on deployment.
After Paul had finished repairs, Bridget was hesitant to look at the bill. But when she did, she was shockingly surprised.
The bill read, “No heat evening call. Deployment discount $1.00.”
Paul refused to take any money and said simply to thank her husband for his service.
Bridget posted her story on Facebook. It read:
Bridget Stevens
“This is a bit lengthy, but I just want to take a minute to acknowledge Betlyn Heating and Cooling. I came home with the boys to a cold house that was 50 degrees. When turning up the thermostat was not kicking the furnace on, I called Betlyn’s, thinking I’d get a machine and have to leave a message, then run to the store for space heaters.
Ultimately, Paul, the owner, answered and was very patient as he walked me through different things to do to try to get it back on. When none of that worked, he said he needed to come to the house to fix it.
As he was working on the furnace, we got to talking about Bobby and the deployment. I had mentioned in passing that I tried to figure it out with my husband, but since he’s deployed and couldn’t see it, he wouldn’t know what to do.
After he was finished, I was a little apprehensive about how much it was going to cost. He handed me the slip that is in this photo. When I tried to give him any money at all, he said that the $1 was a joke, and to thank my husband for his service.
So, thanks to Paul Berlyn. My house is nice and warm thanks to you.”
Through the efforts of proud Americans sharing her story, this message has gone on to inspire countless other acts of kindness.
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