Community Chat

[Carmie]

What a wonderful story. It warms my heart to hear it.

My parents used to invite people over for dinner they met somewhere pretty often.  I grew up with the notion that there are friends everywhere, some we know and some we Have yet to meet.

Enjoy your new friendship.

[NicksmomESQ]

@Its Me LuLuBelle2  What a wonderful story!! I’m so glad you made a new friend.She sounds lovely!! Bless you for reaching out .Sounds like you were just what she needed.

[Wsmom]

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@Its Me LuLuBelle2 wrote:

About 2 - 2 1/2 weeks ago I was grocery shopping.  There was a woman (about 5' 3"} trying to reach something on a fairly high shelf - she clearly was not going to reach it.  I asked what she was trying to get and volunteered to get it for her.  She told me what she wanted, I plucked it down and handed to her.   We got talking, one thing led to another and she told me she was 84 (she sure didn't look it)!  Her hair was snow white, she had some wrinkles, but the prettiest blue eyes I've ever seen and I don't know how else to describe it, but she just had a "kind" face.

Turns out she lost her husband three weeks before Thanksgiving in 2018, after a short illness - they never were able to have children, and the rest of her family was deceased.  She and her husband had moved to Florida four years ago at the urging of very good friends.  When her husband died those same good friends told her they were sorry they couldn't invite her for the holidays, but they were celebrating them with their children and grandchildren - all in the area.  She was baffled and hurt as she knew the kids, the grandkids and couldn't believe her "good friends" were turning their backs on her during this very difficult time.

Now I'm a pretty private person, don't warm up to people easily, but there was just "something" about this woman that I wanted to know more about.  I gave her my phone number and told her to give me a call and maybe we could get together, meet for coffee, whatever worked for her.  Never thought I'd hear from her again.  Well, she called me Monday.  I invited her for dinner Tuesday night and she jumped on the opportunity.  I picked her up (she doesn't drive after dark) and she, my husband and I had a wonderful dinner at our house.  She was a delight.  The stories as a young girl during WWII and later meeting her husband who was a career Army officer and served in Korea.  Their travels throughout the world and the sorrows of not being able to have children.  She was absolutely fascinating, has led an interesting life and I feel blessed to have met her.  We already have plans for her to come for dinner again next week.  This year she will be spending Thanksgiving and Christmas with my husband and I.

I guess we connect with people for a reason, whether we understand it or not at the time.

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That's a wonderful, heartwarming story.   I love it. 

I so agree about connecting with people and crossing paths.  I've had a few interesting experiences, but one always stands out to me and I know he was placed there at that time and place.  I was very pregnant and happened to be killing time waiting for something and a man was there that I knew in passing but we'd never really chatted.  He starts chatting about my pregnancy and out of the blue starts opening up about his upbringing and he had a special needs sibling and how hard it was, the time his mother spent with that sibling.   They all understood, but it was still hard, etc.  Well that child I was pregnant with was born with special needs.  We had no idea when I was pregnant, diagnosed after she was born.  I always remember him telling me about that and tried to always make special time for my other daughter, etc.  I always wanted to thank him for that conversation but never ran into him again. 

[judsey]

I am glad to see that there are people like you out there in this world. Enjoy your new friend!

[on the bay]

@Its Me LuLuBelle2-

You are a wonderful person

[zumka]

Beautiful @Its Me LuLuBelle2 just beautiful!  

[Daisy Sunflower]

That is so nice.

[Its Me LuLuBelle2]

Thank you all for your very kind responses.  But I'm not the "special one" in this story.  I think the draw for me is my new friend reminds me so very much of my beloved MIL.  She was a young teen, in Germany, at the onset of WWII and by the time it was over she was a young married woman.

My MIL was the most honorable, dignified woman I have ever met.  She lived her life to the highest of standards.  Her integrity was above reproach. Knowing her made you want to be the very best you you could possibly strive to be.  In all of the years I was blessed to know and love her, I never heard her say one unkind word to or about another being.  She never spoke about what she went through during the war, never spoke about the years she and her husband spent in a refugee camp waiting to be sponsored to enter the United States.  She was humble, grateful and never bemoaned her life.

When she died, my husband and I found her journals.  Between us we knew enough German to translate her words.  We were stunned by her early life and what she lived through during the war.  She put it all behind her, and she and her husband built a wonderful life in the States for them and their children.. 

There really is a reason they will always be "The Greatest Generation."  They earned and deserve that moniker and our everlasting respect.  I'm looking forward for my new friend's story to unfold.  LuLu

[IMW]

How wonderful, you are so very kind.

[qualitygal]

@Its Me LuLuBelle2 When my 101 year-old grandmother was in a nursing home, when I'd visit, I got to hear some wonderful stories of her life, I never heard when I was busy growing up.  I'm so glad I had that time with her.  My only regret on that is that, I didn't take the time earlier in my life to hear some of those stories.  I still miss her too.  

Older people are treasures, to me.  I'm so glad you now have a good, new friend.  I'm sure she treasures you.  She's lived a long while and I'll bet there's things you can learn from her and share things with her.  I'm glad you found a diamond.