All Chelsea knew was that they were to perform gymnastics. She must be really good too. Chelsea is a senior here and she stands proud with her team on the floor. Seventeen girls all ready to have some fun.
But George has an issue. The mascot refuses to leave the floor. Maybe the mascot is mesmerized by all the beautiful ladies in front of him.
George buries his face in his hands at the announcement. He’s embarrassed.
The announcer does George a favor.
He asks the crowd if they would allow George to pick a date among the gymnasts. The crowd cheers in approval. And all the boys in the gym were suddenly jealous. They’re all so pretty!
She’s a nice girl. Chelsea allows George to walk her to the center of the floor. There, the mascot pulls out a dozen roses and chocolate from his basket, presenting them to Chelsea for the world to see. What a sweet guy!
But George has saved the best for last. He tells Chelsea to wait as he runs off to the side of the stands. It looks like he’s calling for someone to come out from behind the curtains.
The moment Chelsea sees the man, she bursts into tears. Tears of joy. She just laid eyes on her brother, Sergeant Collin Raineri, of the Army Reserves 160th Signal Brigade. He’s back from Kuwait!
Sergeant Collin flew back home just to see his little sister compete one more time.
You’re not the only one who thought that it was Collin under that George Washington mascot. It did seem that way! But this was one beautiful surprise, and a very motivating one at that!
A man named John commented,
“Chelsea I can see is very close to her brother. I know it’s very hard on her with him being gone so long. Thank you for your service.”
Imagine having to leave your loved ones back home so you could fly to a foreign land and defend your country. That’s the kind of sacrifice men like Collin make. Love for family and love for country.
There’s also that nagging fear of something unfortunate happening to him. So we can understand why Chelsea here cried her eyes out when Collin came to surprise her. Look at that hug!
George really did a wonderful job. He decided to make others happy as his last Valentine’s Day present. And with Chelsea on a high, it wouldn’t be a surprise if she performed her very best routine yet!
