Jesse Robertson has strong memories of his mother Donna’s love of the outdoors. She loved being outside, especially when she and her husband were in Bishop, California, where they would hike for weeks at a time deep into the Sierra Nevada to just take in the beauty of the lakes and mountains.
Because of her passion for the outdoors, Donna designed a backyard at her house that is reminiscent of the Sierra Nevada, complete with tall redwoods, boulders, lovely roses, and a tiny waterfall.
Although the yard was small, it encircled the home from left to right, with each area thoughtfully planned and meticulously cared for by her.
When she constructed it, Donna had no idea that she would spend her last hours in that very yard, on a perfect California day, relishing what she had made and cherishing what she would leave behind.
She passed away at the age of 82, at home, surrounded by her loved ones, following a protracted fight with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
“My mom epitomized unconditional love,” her son Jesse, 47, tells. “At times, I wasn’t always the easiest child to raise, and each day I work on sharing the patience she showed me with my own children as they continue to navigate growing up.”
“No matter how old I became, I was always her little boy, and that is something I have reflected on more and more with a great sense of gratitude in the weeks since she passed,” he continues.
Jesse, who resides in the Minneapolis area with his wife and two children, came home to California once a month to be with Donna during the final year and a half of her life.
They talked about her outlook on life and the past during their time together. Jesse remembers that she would always declare, “I’ve lived a great life,” in spite of her pain. I’m just so lucky.”
On one of those occasions, Jesse was in his mother’s kitchen when he noticed a digital picture frame scrolling through family photos on the counter. He stopped when he saw a picture of Donna in the early 1980s, holding balloons in what she affectionately referred to as “Grandma’s Attic.”
“This is exactly how I want to remember my mom,” he thought as he gazed at it.
“For me, it just embodied her spirit, her beauty, her attitude toward life — and it was such a freeing moment in time, such a stark contrast to the present day, where she was limited by so much,” he tells. “I took a picture of the digital frame and photo with my cell phone, and I thought of it and looked at it often in the years that followed.”
Jesse concentrated on assisting his father in navigating the next phase of his life after Donna passed away. One thought, though, persisted: obtaining a framed copy of that picture, which he and his father both treasured.
His initial attempt, which involved printing the image on photo paper using a laser printer at home, didn’t yield the desired level of quality.
Thus, Jesse left with the photo, saved from the digital frame, in a manila folder the day before his flight back. When he initially attempted FedEx Office, he discovered that the facility was no longer equipped with photo-quality printing equipment.
Next was CVS. The same problem.
“I tried UPS, but they too didn’t have the machines,” he says. “I sat in my car in the parking lot, feeling the pressure mount to get back to my house to help my dad and sister with so many things still needing to be done. At the same time, I felt the frustration and sadness begin to rise, that what I thought would be simple — and what I had always wanted to take home with me from that experience, so I could walk in my house, put it up, and have this memory of her always visible — might not happen.”
He made some more phone calls. No success. They made an effort to assist at Staples, but once more, the quality was lacking.
When he discovered Mike’s Camera in Menlo Park, California, which was only a mile away, he was disappointed and sat in the parking lot, frantically trying to decide what to do while browsing Google. Anticipating another dead end, he called. “Yeah, we can do that,” the man on the other end of the phone said plainly.
He had misgivings, but he was optimistic. He drove to the store anyway. He was only three steps in when a man called Christian greeted him and inquired about his assistance. Jesse clarified that he had just called and communicated his goals.
He remembers how the employee made it seem so simple. Jesse only needed to think about the available prices, select the finish and quality, and it would be finished.
However, Christian returned with bad news: they were behind schedule, and it would take three days for the picture to be ready.
“My heart sank,” Jesse says. “I worked on keeping myself together and told him I was leaving on a plane in the morning, so that wasn’t going to be an option. But by then it was too late for me. I turned my back to the other customers and pretended to look at camera bags in the corner of the store as the tears started to flood uncontrollably down my face. There was nothing I could do. I had maneuvered around a display stand so he couldn’t see me, but then I heard him call my name.”
“I came out to just grab my photo and leave as soon as I could. He and I met in the middle of the floor just on the other side of the counter, and he looked at me and stopped in his tracks,” he continues. “I still remember the look on his face — it just seemed like he cared so much, and I hadn’t even said a word yet.”
“What’s wrong?” Christian questioned. Through sobs, Jesse gave him the story as best he could.
“As I kept talking, I could see his eyes welling with tears too,” Jesse adds. “He said, ‘Man, I wish I was able to give you a hug,’ and I remember saying, ‘I’ll take one.’ He gave me a hug, told me to hold on, and walked back to the printers.”
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The staff then put everything on hold to assist with printing Jesse’s photo. They printed off two copies in addition to his, which Jesse presented to his father and his sister.
“What was supposed to take three days became 30 minutes,” Jesse recounts. “I was able to frame it right there on his counter. And when I came home the following morning, I set that frame in my living room, where I see it every day — and think of her.”
Later, in amazement at the moment, Jesse shared what had transpired on TikTok.
He wanted his movie to serve as a reminder of the humanity and goodwill that still exist. That was all he intended to do. Although he had no idea how many people would watch the film, it went viral very fast and received over 80,000 views.
“I think it’s the same thing that resonated with me and the same thing that we all feel we don’t see or hear about enough in this world: compassion,” he stated. “I think that people know that there is no expectation that Mike’s Camera (or any other business) would halt what they’re doing to help one person.”
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“I believe we all want to live in a world where that is true, and while so much can cause us to lose sight of that, even one small instance — one interaction between two perfect strangers where that kindness is shown — represents the fact that it’s still out there,” he adds. “I know that personally, I want to hold on to that notion, and I believe others do as well.”
Jesse claims that since the encounter, he has developed relationships with the staff at Mike’s Camera on Instagram and TikTok and is eager to return the next time he is visiting his relatives.
“I think she would have laughed and probably shaken her head at just another wild thing her son had done,” Jesse continues, considering what his mother might have thought of the circumstance. “She would have been proud that she raised a boy into a man who wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable. But what she would have loved the most is the kindness people shared — she was such a good person, so full of life and love for her family and friends.”
“It would have meant so much to her to know that there are so many wonderful people in the world,” he continues.
