By Gary Lloyd

MOODY – The city I call home has gone viral for the right reason.

In a school not a half mile from my house, a beautiful thing happened. On Oct. 2, National Custodial Worker’s Recognition Day, the students and faculty of Moody Elementary School had a surprise.

In a video posted several weeks ago, a Moody Elementary teacher tells Mr. Eugene, the school’s custodian, that there has been a “little accident” in the gym when, in fact, there is instead a huge surprise.

As Mr. Eugene enters the gymnasium, the students surprise him with hollers of “Thank you!” and “Surprise!”

Mr. Eugene takes a moment to gather himself, covering his face, surprised that he is being showered with praise as opposed to having to clean up a mess. He strolls through the rows of students, high-fiving them all. He receives handmade cards and gifts.

After he receives them all, the students yell, “Thank you!”

I was nervous about moving to Moody, not for any reason other than most everyone is nervous when they purchase their first home. They wonder about property taxes, traffic, and the future. This simple act of recognition and kindness from Moody Elementary School staff and students took that nervousness off me.

The students said it best. Thank you, Mr. Eugene.

You can watch coverage of Mr. Eugene’s surprise on ABC News here and CNN here.