No pain is greater than that of losing a child. Unfortunately, parents whose children are part of the military and are deployed to far and foreign countries fear for their safety each and every day. Joseph Villasenor was a United States Air Force Staff Sergeant whose love for the country was greater than any other. Unfortunately, after serving for 16 years, this brave man was killed at the age of 36. His parents, Raymond and Rachel Villasenor were heartbroken!

They couldn’t believe their son had disappeared. Coping with the pain was extremely difficult. They told of their son’s tragic death and the mysterious event that occurred shortly after. They noticed something unusual one day while visiting Joseph’s grave at the Garden Park Cemetery in Arlington, Texas: their son’s grave was covered with a trail of beautiful, green grass, whereas nearly all of the other graves were covered with dead grass and dirt.

They couldn’t possibly know what was going on. What they were unaware of was a chance meeting between their daughter and an elderly man named Jake Reissig a few months before. Jake was delivering flowers to his late wife’s final resting place when he noticed Joseph’s sister sobbing over his grave. He couldn’t help but approach her and inquire as to why she was crying.

She explained that her brother had recently died and that the entire family was devastated and in mourning. Jake couldn’t console her, but he could show them how much he cared. He made the decision to bring flowers to Joseph’s grave. He also watered the grass on a daily basis. When Rachel and her husband Raymond visited their son’s grave one day, they noticed it was completely covered in beautiful flowers. They felt better after seeing it. They didn’t know who to thank for the kind gesture, though.

Eventually, they learned it was Jake who was taking care of the tombstone. Jake’s kind deed moved them to tears. Words couldn’t describe how grateful they were to this elderly man. It is during the tough times we experience in life that we need someone to show us they care. Thank you, Jake, people like you make this world a better place.