Unexpected Geyser

It's amazing how one little likeness can make the tears flow.  And really, this time it was Undercover Boss?

I only caught the end of the show.  Not enough time to get emotionally involved, right?  Wrong.  The boss sat out on the patio individually with his three really good employees that he discovered.  He's generously giving them money and upgrading their positions to reward them for their loyalty, dedication, and drive.  The third employee was the hot rock that got the tears boiling.

His story sounded so similar to a man I knew in Guatemala, a man who had worked so hard here in the U.S. to establish a life for himself and his family before they had to return to their homeland.  On the TV show, the man had worked 20 years for his company.  He had such a great attitude.  Just like my Guatemalan friend.  And his reactions to the boss's news?  "Oh, my God...my wife and I...overwhelmed..."  So grateful.  In a very similar accent to my friend's.   

And then the show of emotion.  And his desire to say a word in response to his boss to confirm his boss's goodness, his boss's aligning with the company's principles, clearly considered a "good" in both men's minds.

These are the same words, the same type of response that I saw in my friend Luigi and his wife Mayra.  Never complaining, even though life is tough.  Grateful, truly grateful, for every gift, every gesture of kindness.  And always with a desire to turn around and verbally confirm the giver, often times even pronouncing a blessing on him or her.

I miss them.