'My Life Kind Of Turned Around And Changed Overnight' Says UPS Driver After Act Of Kindness

December 17, 2021

A UPS driver stopped after delivering a package in the middle of his busy shift to wish the parents of a newborn baby boy well.

That simple act of kindness has now led to a lifelong friendship.

Jessica Kitchel and her husband Mack live in Roswell, Georgia, with their daughter Charlie and newborn, Chancy.

On a day she thought a few packages were arriving, she checked her Nest door camera to find so much more.

"If this is a 'it's a boy' house, I hope all is going well with your newborn. I had a child at around the same time you guys did, I just hope everything is going good, God bless, and Happy Holidays," UPS driver Dallan Harrell said.

It meant so much to Kitchel that she posted the video to Instagram.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by j e s s i c a H O P E (@jesskitchel)

Harrell walked away unaware of the impact he'd be leaving behind.

"Like most parents, in those first few weeks at home, it can feel isolating," said Kitchel. "The moment that he said that was a time I needed to hear that encouragement at the most important time. I was blown away that he would take a second to end his day to leave that message for me to see how I was doing, it just blew me away."

With the help of social media, Kitchel was able to find Harrell and thank him in person.

"I just was so excited to talk to him and just thank him for what his message meant to me," she said.

When Kitchel found out that he had not had a baby shower, she asked him if he had a baby registry that he could share. She posted the link online and now the new father has almost everything he needs for his newborn -- all gifted by strangers.

"Complete strangers. I wouldn't know them from a can of paint. Just God's vessels," Harrell told CBS 46.

He says he also received a promotion at work. "My life kind of turned around and changed overnight."

But the biggest gift, they both say, is a friendship they've formed, that all started with less than twenty seconds of kindness. "I don't want it to be a one-time deal. Not a season, for sure, a lifetime," said Harrell.

Kitchel says there's also a bigger lesson we can all take away from this. "It's so easy right now to focus on what isn't going right and the fact that we all got to see somebody just take a second in their day and show an easy act of kindness, that really meant a lot."