Dear Internet: You need feel-good stories this week? I've got a doozy. Yesterday I opened the mailbox and found a small package with Stitch Fix as the return address. Strange, I thought. I hadn't ordered anything - and besides, their delights always show up in a big (expected) box on the doorstep. I opened it up to find a small box and a card.
"Hi Laura," it read. "We recently learned about the passing of your beautiful twin girls, Maggie and Abby. We want you to know that y...ou and your family are in our thoughts during this difficult time, and wanted to send you something special as a way to show our support. The bracelet has the initials of all your sweet children, and we hope that you will feel the love from all of them whenever you wear it." Inside the tiny box was a beautiful silver bracelet with tiny charms engraved with each of my kids' initials.
Take heed, dear Internet: I never ordered this gift. All I did was use a mail-order service that - to the cynics in this anonymous, virtual age - feels like the farthest thing from human connection. All the company knew about me was this: when I signed up for maternity clothes last fall, I listed my due date (and noted that I was carrying twins, so I was even bigger). They sent me a box of clothes; a few fit great; the rest went back; all normal.
Then this spring I got sick of sighing about how nothing in my closet fit right (the woe of every postpartum mother) and I requested an order: some loose-fitting shirts, a pretty sundress, maybe a pair of shoes. But I made 2 special requests. First, I asked, could they please take me off their maternity mailing list because the emails were breaking my heart. And second, could they send me something purple because it was the color that reminded me of my babies. (Yes, I grief-dumped in two sentences in the comments box because that's what happens when your life is messy and you're trying to figure out how to dress a post-partum body without any babies to show for it.) They sent me a beautiful box of clothes: they were lilac and lavender and flowy and fit like a dream. The stylist included such a sweet note that I wrote a quick thank you to her in the comments box when I checked out my order online. I thought it was a done deal, even an unexpected caring gesture on top. What more could a customer want?
But then this surprise showed up in my mailbox. I don't even know where to start to tell you how it floored me. In this era when cynics rage about big business and virtual disconnect, someone at this company took the time to reach out in a personal, beautiful way - above and beyond what I would ever expect from a business. To me, it speaks volumes about the truth that we remain deeply human, no matter the nature of our interactions.
Does Stitch Fix have a loyal customer for life now? Of course they do. But more importantly, their unexpected, generous gesture reminded me that there are always real people working behind the scenes and the screens. And more often than not, they can be as loving and caring as our neighbors next-door. So yes, sign up today if you haven't tried it yet; of course I'm singing their praises from the rooftop. ;) But listen: more importantly, let's BE these exceptional humans today: the ones that notice need, dig deeper, take time, and reach out. The ones who give more than anyone expects. The ones who do their work with love - and turn other people's days upside down with joy.