Luke Glass
My husband Luke would be my hero even if he wasn’t such a wonderful person. His kindness and integrity make him really stand out in a crowd.
When we first met, I was a night desk clerk at a hotel, and Luke was a taxicab driver who dropped off and picked up guests who were staying with us.
Luke impressed me because he always carried his passengers’ luggage in or out for them, and I noticed that he always held the door for everyone. When he came in, he always made a point of telling me hello and asking how my night was going. Most of the cabbies just pulled up front and waited, or honked their horns.
One slow night I was studying for a college class I was taking, and Luke had to wait for a customer who had overslept and missed his wake up call to come down. Luke noticed my textbook and we got to talking. I told him I was a year away from my degree in accounting, and he encouraged me to stick with it.
Well, I did, and soon after I graduated, Luke and I were married. In the fifteen years since then, I have always been amazed at how far he will go out of his way to help someone or just to make somebody else feel good about themselves.
He never fails to notice when myself, my mother or sisters, and any other women we know has a new hairstyle, and always compliments it. We have several young extended family members who are in high school or college, and just as he did with me, Luke always shows an interest in their classes and encourages them to work hard and succeed.
He seems to take a particular interest in elderly people, and my grandparents love him because he always spends a lot of time talking to them and listening to them reminisce about “the good old days.” I have also seen him stop to talk to a senior citizen in the park or at a grocery store, taking the time to let them know they are special.
Luke is the most honest person I have ever known. Occasionally customers will leave something in his cab, and he always goes out of his way to get it back to them. Doing this costs him money, because he gets paid by the fare, but he always says if the situation were reversed, he’d want someone to do the same for him.
One time a woman left her purse in the cab, with over $3,500 in it. Luke drove to the address on her driver’s license to return it, only to learn that she had moved from there the year before. He talked to the neighbors, was able to get her phone number, and called to get her new address, then drove over 25 miles to deliver the purse. All told, it took almost half of his shift. She never even gave him a tip, either for her original ride, or for returning her purse, but Luke said that was okay, he was building up good karma.
Luke could easily find other work that pays higher, and many of our family and friends have urged him to do so over and over. But he is happy driving his taxi, he loves all of the people he meets and he has a lot of regular customers who depend on him to get them to their appointments, shopping, and such. He says it’s not about the money, it’s about loving what you do.
As for me, I’m just happy knowing he is content in his work, and grateful I have such a nice man to share my life with.
Submitted by Shea Glass
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