When your house is near a school, you see a lot of kids each day.

Some people choose to watch closely, judging their fashion choices, their behavior, or simply feel annoyed that twice a day their street is congested with kids, parents, and busses.

But if you’re 88-year-old Tinney Davidson of Comox, British Columbia, you spend every school day cheerfully waving at them as they walk to classes.

Davidson, who moved into her home with her husband in 2007, was a mainstay in the mornings for students of Highland Secondary School – always a friendly face to start their day.

Even after her husband passed away, she continued her tradition of waving to each and every one of the kids who walked past her big picture window.

“I just liked the look of the children,” she told CBC New in 2014. “They all looked in and I thought, ‘If they’re looking in, I’ll wave to them – and that’s how it started.”

The school has always appreciated Davidson’s efforts, both for their students and in the community. In 2014, they held an assembly to honor and thank her for everything she’s done.

“I was just enthused by them. They’re just wonderful children. They just make me feel so good,” she said at the time.

And in 2016, she got her first big surprise – a Valentine’s Day visit from 70 students at the school who all brought her cookies and cards. It seemed like a natural way to show her their appreciation for being a bright spot on all those mornings.

She said of the stream of students who walked up to her door:

“I was shocked. They kept coming and coming and I just could not believe what I was seeing.”

The gifts and hugs left her in tears, but the sentiments were what mattered most:

“You know, it’s just ‘Love you, you’re wonderful, you’re amazing, love and kisses and everything else,'” recalled Davidson.

The great-grandmother never stopped getting joy from seeing students every day and called herself “the luckiest lady alive” to get the chance to be even a small part of their lives.

That’s why when they heard that Davidson was leaving the neighborhood in 2019, they knew it was an important occasion to mark.

Hearing that she would be moving into an assisted living home before the 2019-2020 school year, they arranged to say “thank you” once last time.

And if you can get through the video below without tears, you’re in the minority, because what you’ll see is a group of 400(!) Highland Secondary School students walking en masse to Davidson’s home to give her a proper send-off – a big wave goodbye.

In April, Davidson sat on her porch, grinning from ear to ear, as everyone came to thank her, not only waving but bringing her flowers and holding sweet, handmade signs that said things like “thanks 4 being awesome.”

The moment was captured on video – one that over 4 million people have already watched since it happened 5 months ago.

It’s touching to see Davidson’s face lit up by the love of all the kids whose hearts she’s touched and who made time to come and see her one last time.

After all, she’s always known they were good kids.

Be sure to scroll down and see footage from the big surprise as well as from another story the CBC ran about Davidson in 2014.

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Source: People, CBC News via Facebook, CBC News