When mom of three Leigh Anne Skoda lost her husband to cancer when he was just 42 years old, the couple had only been living in their town for 11 months. But despite not having enough time to get to know their community well, the Skoda family was overwhelmed with the kindness of the people in around them in the wake of their loss.
One such example of this is perhaps unusual and is certainly remarkable: the Skoda’s FedEx driver, Brian Scholl, truly showed what it means to live out the principle that everyone is your neighbor, even if you’re just passing through their neighborhood while on the job. It started like this: one day as Brian was driving his normal route on Leigh Anne Skoda’s street, he saw her struggling with a stuck cap while trying to put air in her tires, so he stopped to help. While they talked, he discovered that Leigh Anne had been recently widowed. He casually offered his help again if she should need it. A few months later, he had the chance to prove he wasn’t just offering up hollow platitude.
After the community experienced a snowfall, Scholl made good on his word. While driving by the Skoda’s house one day, he stopped his FedEx truck and got out. But he wasn’t there to deliver a package, or even to say a quick hello. Seeing the Skoda’s porch and walkway covered with snow, Brian simply walked up to her doorstep and started shoveling. He didn’t ring the doorbell or announce his presence in any way. He just got to work meeting a need that needed met.
Scholl thought he was doing this good deed in secret, but Leigh Anne’s doorbell camera caught him in the act. When Skoda saw what he was doing, she tells FedEx, her first thought was “God bless him. He is such a genuinely kind person, and I know it was no big deal to him, but it really meant the world to me!” She posted her doorbell camera video to social media to thank Brian, and the story quickly took off, warming people’s hearts all over the world.
Brian responded humbly to the attention, insisting that it was what he would want someone to do for his wife if she were in Skoda’s shoes.
Still, Skoda says, she wants people to understand that one small kindness can make a huge difference in someone’s life.
“After losing my husband,” she says, “I now am mom AND dad. I do it all, and sometimes that is exhausting. Having someone step up and help us out really is a big deal! I am forever thankful to Brian and everyone who has helped us out, no matter how small or insignificant they think it might be!”
Kudos to Brian for taking the Golden Rule to heart, and warming hearts all over the internet in the process!
