Overcome By Anxiety
She felt her body tense up with anxiety as she neared the door. She could hear her name but had no idea what they wanted. They had called an assembly, and her heart hammered in her chest at the thought of being in front of everyone.
Her hands shook with panic as she started opening the door. She wondered if her secret had been revealed.
Going The Extra Mile
The children adored Belle Elementary School's janitor. Frances Buzzard was serious about her job and went the extra mile to help students by tutoring them whenever she had the chance.
The 77-year-old enjoyed spending time with the children because their excited energy rubbed off on her. She thought it made her capable and enthusiastic.
Diving Into The Past
One day, the principal had an idea that had her looking into France's past. She didn't like that she did it, but the plan wouldn't work without it. She pushed on and eventually found something about the janitor that would forever alter her life.
Frances had no idea that what the principal had found would send her world spiraling out of control.
Into The Assembly Hall
The principal started executing the plan and had all 200 students sit in the assembly hall. They needed to be there for it to work - the plan required witnesses.
The hall was utterly silent, none of the children uttering a word. The principal was filled with excited anticipation, watching the plan unfold, and eventually used the loudspeaker to call for Frances.
Something Hidden
It had been unintentional, but the principal of Belle Elementary School had found out Frances had been hiding something from her for years. She decided that things couldn't continue going that way and took action.
She wanted the entire school to know the truth and considered her plan to be like an intervention.
Suspicions
Frances was busy doing her usual daily tasks of scrubbing the kitchen and polishing the floors when she heard her name coming through the loudspeaker. The voice told her to go to the assembly hall, and Frances wondered if there was a mess she needed to clean up.
She couldn't shake the feeling that something about the situation was fishy. Her mind raced with scenarios, each making her feel more queasy.
Proceeding With Caution
The assembly door was closed as she approached, and she could not hear anything. She had never been called over the loudspeaker for anything good, so she couldn't help feeling the need to be cautious.
She knew she hadn't been performing like she used to. She had been struggling recently and wondered if that was why they had called her. But then something else came to mind.
Feeling Nauseous
Frances spotted the timeslots on the assembly hall door and saw that an assembly was currently in session.
She dreaded to think how many eyes would be on her if she stepped through that door. The hall was usually flooded with kids this time of day. She felt nauseous thinking about how she would have an audience watching as she was reprimanded.
Mind Racing
Her mind was racing as she readied herself to open the door. Had one of the pupils complained about her? Was she being faced with retirement? Was she being fired? Her heart sank at the thought.
No matter how many scenarios filled her head, she couldn't think of what the answer truly was. Why had she been called to appear in front of the entire school?
Center Of Attention
She felt all eyes on her as she opened the door. She didn't like being the center of attention and felt herself begin to sweat. If she was to be scaled, why did it have to be from a raised platform in front of the whole school?
She waited for the words she had been expecting to hear, but they never came. They were something else entirely.
Why Had They Called Her
She couldn’t believe the lengths the principal had gone to. Her heart thudded in her chest and her face began to flush. And why had the children been included?
Surely, if she was about to get fired the principal would have spoken to her in private? Frances really didn’t know what to think. Then, the children revealed all with four words.
A Surprise
Bracing for the worst, Frances was ready to be berated. Then, the children started to sing “Happy Birthday” in unison. Frances was dumbstruck. Her birthday wasn’t for another week! And how had they even known her birth date? She hadn’t made a point of telling anyone.
In fact, she was not used to celebrating her birthday at all.
All Their Idea
It turned out that the surprise birthday party had been the students’ idea, and the principal was happy to oblige.
Frances had been a loyal and hardworking employee of the school for so long that it was only fitting that they celebrated her life. So she got to work and found out her birth date. But that was not all she discovered.
Tea And Cake
The school’s principal had found out about Frances’ big secret: she had never had a birthday party in her life. This saddened her greatly, and she knew immediately that she had to take action to make things right.
So she put her plan into action, ordering personalized cupcakes and even assisting the schoolchildren in creating a special slideshow in honor of Frances.
An Early Birthday
When Frances slowly entered the hall, she was greeted warmly by the principal.
“Surprise! Happy birthday, Ms. Frances. We know it’s next week but you won’t be here. So, we’re celebrating today. Come on in!” And Frances’ surprise was written all over her face. But the surprises weren’t over yet.
A Tribute
With Frances now seated, the slideshow began. There were photographs of historical moments in history, such as the moon landing and Woodstock, and Frances had been photoshopped into the scenes. It was the perfect commemoration of her life and a compliment on her 77 years on the planet.
When Frances saw it, her eyes filled with tears of joy at the message and the effort that the students had made.
Growing Up
Frances had never had a birthday party because her parents had been poor when she was growing up and they simply couldn’t afford it.
“I don’t remember any. They didn’t do things like that. We didn’t have Christmas parties either. They would get us fruits and nuts when they could afford it,” Frances explained.
Gratitude
Imagine going through 77 years and never knowing the joy of being celebrated on your birthday?
Frances had never made a big deal or a fuss about the date. She was brought up to be grateful for what she had. her parents had never been able to afford birthday gifts, cake, or any of the things most of us take for granted.
Loved By All
“So, this lady is twice our age, but she does three times the work. She’s something else. Everybody just loves her. You can’t get her to stop,” School counselor Chelena McCoy told the Charleston Gazette-Mail in an interview.
Frances was so well-loved by pupils and staff that they knew they had to do something to celebrate her.
Appreciation
Frances was filled with gratitude at having her first-ever birthday party at age 77. She really was the center of attention that day, and it’s one that she’ll remember forever.
It is extremely important to show appreciation to the people in your life, and kindness does everybody a world of good. Even the smallest gestures make a difference. Netizens were so touched by the story that it went insanely viral.
Viral Story
Frances’ surprise birthday celebration was televised by the Charleston Gazette-Mail, and the story gained a lot of traction online. From there, it was shared thousands of times on social media sites. Soon, people from all over the world were joining in to send her wishes.
“Absolutely beautiful!!! That smile was so full of joy. It’s obvious that she touched the lives of so many. What a perfect surprise!!! Happy Birthday Miss Frances!!!” one Facebook user wrote.
Heartwarming
“This was such a heartwarming story for that lovely lady's birthday. It was so special since she had never had a party in her 77 years on this earth. So awesome.”
In fact, students and school principals everywhere were so inspired by the surprise birthday party that similar stories began cropping up in the news.
Inspired
Haze Mabry is a janitor at Pike County Elementary School in Georgia. The 80-year-old member of staff went into work one day expecting to clean up the trash that the students had left behind.
Although Haze has worked at the school for 13 years and all three of his children graduated there, he feels that the students at Pike County Elementary are “like children of his own.”
Special Staff Member
Haze had always given the students of the school special attention - which is why he is considered “the most loved person” at the school.
That’s also why the students decided to come together to arrange a special surprise for their janitor’s 80th birthday. When Haze entered the building on that fateful day, he couldn’t believe his eyes.
Birthday Surprise
Haze was astounded to see more than 800 students waiting to greet him that morning. All of them started chanting his name as soon as he stepped inside the school.
Then, the students began to throng around him, handing him birthday cards, singing “Happy Birthday” and holding up banners for his special day.
Overwhelmed
Haze was completely overwhelmed by the students. He was handed so many birthday cards that a few of the youngsters had to follow him with a bucket to collect them all as he made his way through the hallways.
Haze was so grateful for the special treatment that he hugged each and every student and took extra time to read each and every card he received.
Going Viral
Pike Elementary School also took photos of the janitor’s special day, which were shared on their social media page. Just like Frances’ story, Haze’s reaction to his birthday surprise spread like wildfire.
Soon, the pictures had been shared hundreds of times across social media channels. People everywhere were touched to see such an act of kindness - and it’s not hard to see why.
Good News
“Need to see more of this on Facebook instead of bad news and or evil statements of hate being posted,” one Facebook user pointed out. The general consensus is that people would prefer to see uplifting and feel-good stories in the news.
And it’s true - exposing yourself to too much negative news can negatively impact your overall mental health and wellbeing.
A Disproportionate Amount Of Negative News
With so much exposure to television, social media, and online news today, people need to consider their level of exposure to negative news.
Most media outlets pursue better ratings by reporting on a disproportionate amount of negative news. In fact, according to data gathered by the Pew Research Center, most media outlets are more inclined to report on bad news. But how does this affect our mental health?
A Negative Impression Of The World
While keeping abreast of current events is a way to stay informed, negative news about disasters, suffering, war, and economic crises actually changes our perception of the world. People exposed to more negative news suffer from higher levels of anxiety and depression.
Instead of consuming a constant stream of negative news, people should try to balance their sources with positive media outlets and stories. In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.