It occurs to me that, despite everything we try, we will never be able to express our gratitude to the military personnel who sacrifice so much of themselves to serve our nation. Along with endangering their lives, they also desert their loved ones.
Both those who have passed away and those who are still alive and waiting for their departed loved ones to return safely must find it challenging to be away from home.
The experiences of a military spouse are familiar to Bridget Stevens.
The tale of this woman will warm your heart even though it takes place in the depths of a bitter Pennsylvania winter.
One day, Bridget found herself in some trouble. The house’s heating system had malfunctioned, and the outside temperature was extremely low. She didn’t have any extra money, but she had to call Betlyn’s Heating and Cooling to fix the issue or her kids would freeze.
They gave her instructions on how to try to fix it herself, but when they realized it needed more serious attention, the owner, Paul, informed Bridget he was going to her house to find and fix the problem.
He was told by Bridget that typically her husband takes care of household repairs, but this time he wasn’t present to make the necessary repairs. Bridget had to take care of the house and their kids alone while he was away on duty.
Paul did a fantastic job of fixing the issue and giving Bridget the cost. She agreed to pay for it and was about to do so when she read something that completely overwhelmed her.
The bill read, “No heat evening call. Deployment discount $1.00.”
Paul wanted to express her gratitude to her husband for his military service.
Bridget decided to post the event on her Facebook page because she was moved by the entire encounter.
“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 Paul Betlyn. My house is nice and warm thanks to you.”
We are grateful that Paul understood the value of a military service member’s sacrifice. As a way of saying thank you for all that they do for the rest of us, we should always try our best to assist the families of our heroes.
