“Kindness and courtesy 
are at the root of 
a positive customer 
service experience.”
Shep Hyken

I heard the name Gary Ward long before I met him. He was the United Parcel Service (UPS) driver who, for many years, delivered packages to my mother’s home on 38th Avenue in San Francisco. Mom would often speak fondly of him, sharing stories of his kindness, friendliness, and the extra effort he put into his job as a delivery driver. She also mentioned him each Christmas after receiving an annual Christmas card from him. Of course, she sent him a card each year, as well. Gary made a positive difference in Mom’s life. 

UPS is the world’s largest parcel delivery service. Their large brown box trucks can be seen around the world. I have found them to be reliable for both sending and receiving packages. My experience of UPS, however, is quite different than my mother’s — not bad, just different. 

Perhaps it’s a generational thing. Or, quite possibly, the difference is due to the significant increase in the volume of parcels to be delivered each day by UPS since the creation of Amazon and other online sellers. The difference is that I don’t know my UPS driver. In fact, when a parcel is delivered to my door, rarely, if ever, does the driver even bother to ring the doorbell to let us know that a package has arrived. 

When Gary would deliver parcels to Mom’s home, he would ring the bell, wait for a response, then walk the package up the steps and hand it to Mom at the front door. He made an effort to get to know Mom on a personal level. He would engage her in conversation, asking about the kids and grandkids. The bottom line is that he treated Mom like a human being, deserving of his time and attention. 

One day, Mom asked me if I would drive her to Gary’s home in Pacifica. She had something she wanted to give him. It was a copy of my first book, A Moment’s Pause for Gratitude. I was happy to do so. When we arrived, we were greeted warmly by Gary and his wife, Sandy. We had a nice visit with them. Gary wanted to know all about the other neighbors still living on 38th Avenue. 

Mom passed away in August 2022. To this day, I still receive a Christmas card from Gary and Sandy each year. While I don’t have the same type of relationship Mom had with him, I am tremendously grateful for the opportunity to stay connected to Gary and to express my gratitude for all he did for Mom throughout her later years.

We could all benefit from the wisdom of the Dalai Lama, who wrote, “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”