Mowing mailman delivers goodwill

St. Petersburg, Florida - For a guy with restless feet, Eric Wills figures he has the perfect job. "I really believe this job was kind of designed for me," he says while going from house to house.

And this St. Pete mail carrier takes his job seriously, you know, all that "nor rain, nor heat" stuff. But it's not Eric's reliability that has folks along his route hailing him hero. "He's my savior," says 83-year old Catherine Causby.

You see, along with all the letters, this guy delivers love. And his special delivery roars to life each week when he ditches his mail and grabs his mower.

This mowing mission started about three years ago when on his mail route Eric tromped across a yard gone wild. "I was kind of walking through the yard complaining saying, 'I wish this guy would cut his grass,' and right then I believe God spoke to me and said, 'Why don't you cut his grass?', so I did," Eric explains.

And just like the grass in Florida, this mowing ministry has grown. Eric now mows about 25 yards for seniors, single moms and others in need.

On this day, Causby is treated to the smell of new-mown grass and the knowledge that "good guys" still exist. "You know let's face it. These days everybody's out to make a buck; not him," the frail and pencil-thin Causby says. "It's the dollar, people worship the dollar. He worships his Lord."

Besides the never-ending thanks from people like Causby, Eric has received some accolades. This year Reader's Digest called him one of "America's Best" and the Ray's chose him to throw out a ceremonial first pitch.

But raking in praise isn't what keeps Eric raking. A Christian, he says all this extra work filling evenings, weekends and vacation days is a call he just can't ignore. "You know, what I'm doing isn't anything special. I'm just doing what I can to help somebody out. I figure that's the way a community is supposed to work," says Eric, sweat showing through his shirt.

But for seniors along Eric's green swath, he'll continue to be a cut above and the "dear" on the John Deere.