Why Did the Disabled Veterinarian Cry?

A moving post on social media recently garnered thousands of likes and shares, and for good reason. The post was written by the wife of a military veterinarian named Christopher Garrett, who was shot in the abdomen during his service in Afghanistan and became disabled. Beside a photo of her husband in Afghanistan, Garrett's wife, Brittany, writes: "It happened in the middle of a mission my husband went on, around one o'clock in the morning. He was shot in the stomach - an event that led to his discharge from the military due to disability."

Brittany explains that her husband was flown back home and tried to live as normal a life as possible, "which included doing things he was used to before the injury, like mowing the lawn once a week. He used our old heavy lawnmower, and you can imagine how difficult that was for him with a 100% disability rating. Now, even the simplest tasks like mowing the lawn are nearly impossible for Christopher."

Brittany describes his desire to return to routine and carry out regular activities as a test that also challenged their relationship. "Anyone who knows someone who has come back from war after serving their country for a long time knows how hard it is for these people to return to normal life and function like everyone else - and even more so if they were injured in the war. For Christopher, it was particularly hard because he was very active before the injury. We had many difficult moments, but I think the hardest moment for me was walking out into our yard one day and seeing him there crying."

Initially, Brittany thought something was wrong, but she soon discovered something that surprised and delighted her. "A stranger passing through the neighborhood one day and saw Christopher struggling with the old lawnmower decided to take action. He went and bought him a new lawnmower, one adapted to his needs as a disabled person. Alongside the lawnmower, the stranger left a small note saying: 'I hope this saves time for the more important things in life. Thank you for your service in Afghanistan and for the sacrifice you made for my freedom. Respectfully, a grateful American.'

"Christopher couldn't hold back his tears of excitement from the gesture, and you can only imagine what it did to us as a family. That smile that appeared amid my husband's tears that day is indescribable, and for that I'm grateful to the stranger whose small act made us feel like a normal family again."