YORKTOWN, Va.- Despite the vibrant decorations, Raymond “Junior” Bliss says he and his wife were not in the Christmas spirit this year.
“I had actually been out of work for three months earlier this year, and my wife has been battling breast cancer a little over a year,” says Bliss.
But a few days ago, in the midst of a very rough time, Bliss says he got a phone call out of the blue.
“From the apartment manager just telling us there was a Christmas card from another tenant there. We just kind of assumed that it was somebody who had gone out of town and didn’t get to catch us.”
It was a Christmas card with no name and no trace of who could have left it.
“When I opened it, I was really shocked. I came walking home just in a daze and my wife looked at me a little concerned and asked me what was wrong and I handed her the card and she opened it up and there was a $100 gift card to Food Lion,” says Bliss.
For Bliss, a fitting last name for how he was feeling, describes the gesture as an unexpected blessing.
"There are wonderful people who just don't want to be known as wonderful. They're not looking for appreciation. They just want to do something kind. I was just so happy about it and I had to find a way to say thank you."
Giving back with no expectation of anything in return.
"I think the original intention of Christmas was about being kind to your fellow man and if you see somebody who needs help, you reach out to them and even if you can't find somebody who needs help, you find somebody to do something kind for. Lord knows we need so much more of that in this world,” says Bliss.
