While the holiday season is over, one former Danbury mailman is seeing a little sparkle in his eye after receiving hundreds of holiday cards.
Jim Gaboardi's room is filled with them. Cards that are handmade, cards with sparkles -- but until the last few weeks, it wasn't that way.
Gaboardi's granddaughter, Meghan, came to see him at his assisted living facilty in Bethel, Maplewood at Stony Hill, a few weeks before Christmas. It was a time where residents were receiving Christmas mail.
As mail was passed out to all the residents, he did not receive anything and told her, "it’s been a really long time since I've gotten any mail."
Meghan couldn't stand to see the look in his eyes when her grandfather, a man who delivered mail for more than 40 years and now suffers from dementia, told her that. So, Meghan took to social media to ask for anyone to send him mail.
Soon after, the letters started coming -- more than 200 of them.
"And look, some actually [say] 'Happy New Year.' So not just Christmas [cards] – with a heart inside!" Debbie Henriques, Jim's daughter, said. "And the sparkles you loved. Anytime you opened a card and the sparkles came out you got them all over your pants!”
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The cards were written by people who know and others who do not know Jim.
"‘Hi Papa Jim.,'" read one card. "'You don’t know me, but I know a little bit about you from Meghan as she posted on Facebook about you after your time together. She is real proud of you. Merry Christmas.'"
Jim called the amount of cards pouring in, 'unbelievable.'
“I think the cards were a way of engaging him and then all of a sudden he just seemed to have brightness in his eyes,” said Debbie.
It was a vast difference to his engagement during his family's Thanksgiving. Debbie said her father stayed awake far longer than they imagined for their Christmas celebration: nine hours.
With Valentine's Day and Easter coming up, if you'd like to give give Jim Gaboardi a card, you can send it to Maplewood at Stony Hill: 46 Stony Hill Rd., Bethel, CT 06801.
