Yesterday as I left the house to walk to work, I noticed a little old white-haired Asian lady struggling up Sky Avenue in front of me. She wore a lovely light blue dress and sensible shoes, and each step, taken with bent back and widely placed feet, clearly took a great deal of effort.I was immediately curious, and walked up beside her.
"Hello," I said. "How are you doing this morning?"
She looked up, surprised and delighted. "Fine!" she said. "It's a beautiful morning." And it was.
"You really look lovely," I said, wanting to give something to her day. "Where are you going?" Then I noticed that she was carrying a big Bible.
"Oh, I'm going to the church up there." She nodded toward the church up at the top of the street.
A Wednesday morning Bible study? I didn't know they had one.
"Today is Wednesday, you know," I said.
"It is?" She was shocked. "Wednesday? I can hardly believe it!" she said.
"It's Wednesday," I said. "That's a fact."
"Oh, thank you so much for telling me," she responded. "Thank you. I think I was mixed up." She turned around to head slowly toward home. I wanted to hug her goodbye out of sympathy.
What a different kind of life, I thought. What a very different kind of life from mine, when in her life the days all run together so that she has no cues to tell her that today is Wednesday, and there are still a few more days to go until she gets to dress up and go to a church service.
That's a lotta cute and a little sad.
ReplyDeleteAs the child-in-law of someone in the same season as this precious lady, thank you for reaching out. Her kids may never be able to show their appreciation, but they are thankful for the anonymous caretakers who help her along each day. Bless you!
ReplyDeletesimple story, complex feelings.
ReplyDeleteAww--that's a sweet and sad story, all in one.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog again--I knew you would understand the TCK background!