There’s a saying that not all heroes wear capes.
For one little girl named Brooklyn Andracke, she loved Thursdays because it was the day her own special hero would drive up – the garbage man.
Every week, Brooklyn would excitedly wait for the garbage truck to stop by her family’s Bloomington, Illinois home to pick up the trash. However, there was a Thursday in particular where she had a dream of hers come true.
Brooklyn spent almost a year waving “hi” to the garbage man named Delvar.
According to her mom Traci, she began waving to him from their window. But eventually, the toddler wanted to actually be outside each week to wave – and if they accidentally missed the pick-up, they’d drive around until they found his truck in the neighborhood.
While they didn’t know Delvar (or even his name) at the time, he’d smile and wave in return. This, of course, would make Brooklyn’s day.
Traci explained on Facebook:
“Every… Thursday, my heart is full when I see the joy that our amazing garbage man brings Brooklyn when he honks and waves at her with a BIG smile.”
Brooklyn’s third birthday turned into one she’ll likely never forget.
To celebrate the special occasion, Traci and Brooklyn decided to wrap up a cupcake and bring it out to the garbage man. Once they saw his truck, the pair started waving like they normally did. But then Traci motioned for Delvar to approach.
She described what happened next, saying:
“He pulled over, got out and gave us his BIG smile. Brooklyn was instantly speechless as she handed him the cupcake. I explained to him that he makes our day every Thursday, and we really appreciate the honking and waving, and how special of a day it is for us.”
While the moment was special enough with little Brooklyn getting to meet her hero the garbage man – his response left Traci’s heart in a puddle.
Turns out, it wasn’t just Brooklyn that enjoyed waving at Delvar, he looked forward to it as well!
The mom shared:
“He said that he has a meeting every Thursday morning and always tries to get out of there in a hurry so that he can make sure to see us every week. He said he doesn’t have any kids of his own, but he mentors several children and just loves them.”
After they said goodbye that day, Traci noticed that her daughter was “unusually quiet” while they were driving in the car.
She asked what was wrong, only for Brooklyn to respond: “Mommy, Im so happy.”
Traci was so touched by the garbage man’s kindness and the incident that she decided to share her story online. It didn’t take long for it to go viral.
She wrote:
“THANK YOU!!! Thank you for the joy that you bring Brooklyn every Thursday morning, for making her birthday special, and for making my heart happy. It may be a little thing that you do, but it means so much to us!”
Thank you to the resident that sent us the following comment! REALLY makes us smile!! We hope it makes the rest of you…
Posted by City of Bloomington – City Hall on Friday, April 8, 2016
There were even more surprises to come.
The week following their meeting, Delvar showed up at the family’s home to pick up their trash.
Only this time, he was the one bearing gifts.
He brought with him birthday presents for his biggest fan, Brooklyn!
According to Inside Edition, the two became good buddies. Delvar even sent Brooklyn a video message where he gave her a closer look at the garbage process!
You can watch Inside Edition’s video for yourself below to see more about this super-sweet story!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
