Mike, a 38-year-old locksmith, and his wife, Linda, have just bought a house in Virginia Beach. They moved all the way from Iowa City, joined by their three daughters, to their new home, which has been a truly fortunate experience.
The locksmith and his wife found a safe box at the basement, with $31.000 of value in jewelry. The couple was astonished. And so will be you, when you find out what did they do with the money.
The couple drove all the way from Iowa City to the amazing city of Virginia Beach, carrying most of their belongings in a U-Haul truck. “We don’t have too many things, and we like to travel lightly”, he mentioned. “It is something we have learned over time. It is important to not accumulate many unnecessary things”, Linda added.
The couple had been thinking of moving to this great city for a while. They have family here since Mike’s parents are still around the area. This is what the locksmith Virginia Beach said: “We had been thinking about moving here again. When my mom got sick with the Corona-virus, some months ago, we decided to finally make the move. She was really weak. That has changed our perspective on family and things that are important to us”.
Linda listened to her husband, while making coffee, and nodded, as she sat down. “In my case, my parents have already passed away some years ago; so, I know how important it is to share with them as much as possible. I really wish I could have spent more time with my folks”, she added, while sipping on her delicious afternoon coffee.
Last weekend, this now Virginia Beach locksmith was making some repairs on their new house. “The house, definitely, needed some improvements, so I’ve been taking some time on changing the roof, replacing some tile, and, you know, regular handyman things”, he mentioned, proud of his own work. “I was also working on the basement. I was fixing the floor; it needed to be replaced”, Mike added, “and after I broke part of it with a sledgehammer, I could see that there was something odd there”. That odd and unexpected thing was a safe box.
It was sure heavy, it weighed around 130 pounds. But he was able to pick it up alright. Here is when being a Virginia Beach locksmith came sure handy. “We all got excited. It was totally unexpected. I had
to bring my electric saw and had to buy a face mask. It took me a while to open it up”. The family was thrilled with excitement.
Minutes later, the whole family was installed in the basement. Their children were all hyped. They started to yell and jump, as kids often do. It all seemed like an adventure for this family. When the Hall’s safe box popped up, they found many things inside. There were necklaces, rings, bracelets made from silver and gold, and even diamonds. “It was like finding a pirate’s treasure”, said Linda.
What did they do next? Did they sell it immediately and went on a shopping spree? Did they travel to a luxurious vacation? Not at all. Mike and his family donated the money to where his mother has been taking care of.
“I believe”, Mike said, “that as a society we need to care more for each other. Specially, with this whole Covid-19 going on. We need to be more proactive and think more of others, rather than ourselves”. Linda agreed with him. “At first, I wasn’t that convinced of what Mike was saying. But in the end, I thought it through; and yes, we are privileged, in comparison to other people. We are healthy, we have our jobs; so, we can afford a donation”.
In which ways do they consider themselves privileged? We asked the Virginia Beach locksmith and his wife. “Well, my job implies going to houses or to parking lots, mostly. Of course, there are less clients than before. But as a locksmith, you still get called. But I have some friends who are waiters or store managers. They have it tough. Since they are basically forced to stay at home, or reinvent themselves, finding other jobs. These are difficult times”, Mike mentioned. Linda said that in her case she is a teacher. And at her school they were doing most of the work through remote learning.
After deciding the destiny of the jewelry, the family called a jewelry store, explained the situation, and set an appointment. The managers where astonished when they brought all of those goods. They wanted to give them $10.000 dollars. Mike was amazed; but Linda insisted that they could find better offers. They consulted with three other jewelry stores. And they all offered around $29.000; except for the last one, that offered $31.000 for the whole jewelry.
According to a Public Relations representative of the hospital, “this is a humbling and beautiful gesture. We are grateful for what they are doing for the community, and I’m sure that Corona-virus patients will be absolutely happy with such a generous contribution”.
The PR added that the hospital was going to invest the money wisely. According to the institution, there is a shortage of beds in their facilities, because of the increasing numbers of patients that are infected with the Coronavirus. Therefore, the hospital will invest in buying new beds and bringing additional personnel to give an extra hand.
“We would sure be glad that other members of our community would be as generous as Mike and his family. There are so many people that could benefit from these spontaneous acts of empathy and compassion for others. It is a great lesson for us all”, claimed the PR.
Recently Mike has been hired at Good Lock, a Virginia Beach locksmith company, where he is now working. “I love the job. I’m doing well. And I’m grateful. My coworkers and boss have also told me that they are proud of what I did. So, that also makes us happy as a family”.
However, the family also had the chance to sell the safe box itself to an antique store, which payed almost $4000 for it. “With this we are going to indulge ourselves a little bit, though”, said Mike. “We are going to Florida for a family vacation”, mentioned Linda with a big smile, “we deserve it after all”.
This now locksmith Virginia Beach expert surely got lucky. And the Virginia Beach community and the health care system is lucky to have him among with them as well.
Good Lock
Virginia Beach, VA 23464
Phone: 757-755-0605
www.good–lock.com