Couple Buys Furnace Right after Son’s Birth, Is Amazed to See a Note about Their Baby on the Bill

Many of us receive bills that leave us in disbelief as we look at how much money we owe. One dad had a similar experience, but not for this exact reason. 

Bringing a newborn home is stressful enough without the added anxiety of something going wrong. 

In 2017, Jesse Hulscher’s wife Maria Hulscher had just given birth to their son Adler. This baby and his mom would be coming home from the hospital any day now.

DREAD TAKES HOLD

So, when the blower fan in the furnace crashed, the father from Missouri began to panic. Instantly, he called Magnuson Sheet Metal to fix the problem. Jesse remembered: 

“I think Craig sensed the urgency in my voice that I needed someone to fix the problem and asap (need heat in the house for the new baby!). [sic]”

In less than half an hour, he wrote, they were there and took care of it. The quick service was impressive. But, this was not what left Jesse’s jaw on the floor. 

BEYOND BELIEF

They got the bill in the mail and, as invoice charges sometimes evoke in all of us, were shocked at what they saw. Maria spoke about the amazing moment: 

“I opened it up and looked at the receipt, and it said, ‘no charge, take care of the new baby. [sic]'”

Both of them couldn’t believe it. Magnuson co-owner Craig Aurand said they didn’t do it for business but rather to be kind.

WORD OF MOUTH GONE WILD

Still, the business got some free advertising on Facebook when Jesse’s post about their generosity went viral. Everyone praised Magnuson Sheet Metal. One person commented: 

“You don’t see this anymore. Shows there are still good people on God’s green earth.”

The dad and husband also shared a picture of the bill on the post as it gathered 4000 reactions. It also has 325 comments and 376 shares.

WHAT TRULY MATTERS

Jesse thanked the co-owner and the business for their kindness in the last part of the post. He assured them that he would remain a loyal customer.

Kindness without expectation is a great gesture. But, sometimes, even though you never asked for it, you get showered with praise – and hopefully, in this case, some new patrons. 

A SHATTERED MOTHER

While service transactions are mostly impersonal, Magnuson Sheet Metal and Craig show that a little bit of humanity does have its place.

One grieving mother experienced this when a compassionate flight attendant handed her a note as she left the plane. 

Tricia Belstra was on her way to bury her son, who had committed suicide. She was flying from her home in Colorado to South Bend, Indiana.

On her way there, she was in deep distress, as she shook and was full of nausea. A steward noticed that the passenger was struggling. He finally asked her what was wrong, and she poured her heart out. 

Upon leaving the plane, the flight attendant handed her an encouraging note he had written on a napkin. He spoke about his brother passing away. He also said that her life still has meaning, among his other beautiful words.

There is so much negativity in the world right now. So, it is heart-warming to remember that there is still such kindness alive in the hearts of many. 

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Other international suicide helplines can be found at befrienders.org.