Admittedly, some one might have felt the urge to embrace the person delivering our pizza, but such actions are only acceptable for children.
In a heartwarming incident earlier this year, a 2-year-old boy named Cohen from Rhode Island ran after the pizza delivery man as he was leaving their porch to give him a big bear hug to show his gratitude. The precious moment was caught on the family’s doorbell camera and has since become a viral sensation.
The brief video shows Cohen rushing out of his house and onto the porch just as the deliveryman, Ryan Catterson, was closing the gate.
However, the kind deliveryman paused and received the warm embrace and gratitude from the little boy. Although the toddler also wanted to give him a kiss, his mother caught up to him and suggested he blow a kiss instead.
The video originally posted by Cohen’s mother, Lindsey Sheely, on her Instagram stories quickly gained attention on social media and eventually reached Catterson.
Sheely wrote later in a Facebook post, “Even better, is that I posted this to my IG stories last night and somehow, it found it’s way to the man who delivered our pizza! Thank you, Ryan for being so sweet with our little guy!”
But there was something even more heart-warming about the moment.
Catterson was deeply moved by the hug and its significance, which no one could have anticipated.
After being connected on Facebook by a mutual acquaintance, Sheely got permission to share the heart-wrenching reason why the hug was so meaningful to Catterson.
Just a week prior, he experienced the loss of his daughter, Alyssa, who was 16 years old.
“Little did we know what Cohen’s hug to this stranger would mean,” Sheely wrote in her post. “Through this, we found out that Ryan unexpectedly lost his daughter recently, and that hug from Cohen was a little blessing from God.”
The Facebook post received a comment from Catterson himself:
“Thank you so much for posting this! This week has been a rough one and that really put a smile on my face. He is such a sweet little guy.”
The bereaved family received more than $31,000 in donations through a GoFundMe campaign intended for covering travel and funeral costs.
Before sharing the now-closed fundraiser link, Sheely wrote a message to her viewers, “I believe in divine appointments and know that Ryan was the one to deliver our pizza for a reason.”
Upon watching the video, numerous individuals wished to interpret Cohen’s embrace as a sign of Alyssa’s presence, as if she were watching over her father and conveying additional affection when he required it most.
“We are really never gone..we look out for the ones we love….she hugged him one last time….a thank you…,” said one YouTube viewer.
Catterson shared the same belief and expressed to a local ABC affiliate that he would like to hold on to the possibility that the simple gesture was a form of his daughter’s continued presence.
Regardless of its significance, the timing of the gesture was impeccable.
As daily news headlines became increasingly pessimistic, Sheely expressed her desire that the video might lift people’s spirits.
“We thought it was so sweet and funny. I hope it gives you a laugh and warms your heart like it did for us.”
Make sure to check out the heartwarming footage and an interview with Catterson by scrolling down below.