Of course I have a story or two that make me smile as I think about people doing the right thing. The first story happened after my grandmother's death. She lived in her own home, the house on the hill, until her death at the age of ninety-four in 2000. Grandma had been a force in all the lives she touched, particularly those of us in her family. When it came time to figure out what to do with personal and real property, we did what families do. We gathered. None of us expected that time to be joyous, but we found items that caused each of us to remember Grandma with a smile or a laugh. It was wonderful in its own way.
In the middle of all we were handling, someone noticed Grandma's car wasn't in the garage. That was odd. So we did what you do in a small town. We called the garage we knew had done Grandma's repair work for years. They'd taken care of the family's vehicles clear back to when she and Grandpa had been over-the-road truckers. Phelps Motors, uptown on Main Street. It took a while to sift through the people and all the information there, but in the end, we discovered the car was there, and had been for a while. At this point, I'm not sure if it was for months or years - doesn't really matter.
Anyway, somewhere along the line, the people at Phelps had decided that Grandma probably shouldn't be driving. Not driving wasn't a loss of mobility for Grandma. Folks came and took her to dinner or to the Historic Society where she worked. No car didn't mean she wouldn't be able to live her life.
The thought at the garage was she may not be safe to drive anymore, even though she still had a current driver's license. So, they handled things the way you handle them in a small Iowa town where you care about the people you live with. They told Grandma the parts she needed to repair her car were unavailable and they would have to source them. And then, interestingly enough, they were never able to find them. Ever! So her car sat very peacefully at Phelps until we asked about it. They let us know that we could pick it up any time. Thinking about it now, I have no idea what happened to the car after that, but the information is unimportant. The community took care of my grandmother's safety and well being and allowed her to maintain her dignity. No one had to tell her that she couldn't drive.
If one story were not enough, fast forward to 2012. When my father-in-law passed away, and the kids gathered to take care of the contents of his town-home, the most interesting thing happened. While they were working, his neighbor from across the street came over carrying a ladder. When asked what was going on, he explained that after watching Keith on the roof the last time, well into his eighties, he decided to borrow his ladder and not to return it. He didn't want to tell Keith that he shouldn't be on the roof. He didn't want to tell the kids that their father shouldn't be on the roof. He had just decided to go ahead and do the right thing. He took care of Keith in the way he could.
Today, tomorrow, make the decision to do what you know is right, even if it is not understood or supported by those around you. When you look in the mirror at the person you are, you will be happier if you have done the right thing. It's not always the easiest, but when you think about it, your choice might be pretty darned important.
2 comments:
Nice. Don't know that I'd heard the ladder story. I'd ask to borrow yours but pretty sure you're not in danger from it :-)
Great point. Me and ladders are a BAD combination. It is the fear of the sudden stop at the end of a fall.
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