Touching Stories to Share II

babymac13 SG

The passengers on the bus watched sympathetically as the attractive young woman with the white cane made her way carefully up the steps.
She paid the driver and, using her hands to feel the location of the seats,walked down the aisle and found the seat he'd told her was empty.
Then she settled in, placed her briefcase on her lap and rested her cane against her leg. It had been a year since Susan, 34, became blind. Due to a medical misdiagnosis she had been rendered sightless, and she was suddenly thrown into a world of darkness, anger, fustration and self-pity. And all she had to cling to was her husband, Mark. Mark was an Air Force officer and he loved Susan with all his heart.

When she first lost her sight, he watched her sink into despair and was determined to help his wife gain the strength and confidence she needed to become independent again.Finally, Susan felt
ready to return to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the bus, but was now too
frightened to get around the city by herself.
Mark volunteered to drive her to work each day, eventhough they worked at opposite ends of the city. At first, this comforted Susan, and fulfilled Mark's need to protect his sightless wife who was so insecure about performing the slightest task.

Soon, however, Mark realized the arrangement wasn't working. Susan is going to have to start taking the bus again, he admitted to himself.
But she was still so fragile, so angry - how would she react? Just as he predicted, Susan was horrified at the idea of taking the bus again.

"I'm blind!", she responded bitterly. "How am I
supposed to know where I am going? I feel like you're abandoning me."

Mark's heart broke to hear these words, but he knew what had to be done. He promised Susan that each morning and evening he would ride the bus with her, for as long as it took, until she got
the hang of it. And that is exactly what happpened. For two solid weeks, Mark, military uniform and all, accompanied Susan to and from work each day. He taught her how to rely on her other senses, specifically her hearing, to
determine where she was and how to adapt to her new environment. He helped her befriend the bus
drivers who could watch out for her, and save her a seat. Finally, Susan decided that she was ready to try the trip on her own.

Monday morning arrived, and before she left, she
threw her arms around Mark, her temporary bus-riding companion, her husband, and her best
friend. Her eyes filled with tears of gratitude for his loyalty, his patience, and his love. She said good-bye, and for the first time, they went their separate ways.

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday... Each day on her own went perfectly, and Susan had never felt better. She was doing it! She was going to work all by herself.

On one Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was paying the fare to exit the bus, the driver said,"Boy, I sure do envy you." Susan wasn't sure if the driver was speaking to her or not. After all,who on earth would ever envy a blind woman who had struggled just to find the courage to live for the past year? Curious, she asked the driver,
"Why do you say that you envy me?" The driver responded, "It must feel good to be taken care
of and protected like you are."

Susan had no idea what the driver was talking about, and again asked, "What do you mean?"
The driver answered, "You know, every morning for the past month, a fine-looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the corner watching you as you get off the bus. He
makes sure you cross the street safely and he watches until you enter your office building.
Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a little salute and walks away. You are one lucky lady."

Tears of happiness poured down Susan's cheeks.
For although she couldn't physically see him, she had always felt Mark's presence. She was lucky, so lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than sight, a gift she didn't need to see to believe - the gift of love that can bring light where there is darkness.

babymac13 SG

A Forever Kind of Love By Christy M. Martin

One of our favorite patients had been in and out of our small, rural hospital several times, and all of us on med-surg had grown quite attached to her and her husband.

In spite of terminal cancer and resulting pain, she never failed to give us a smile or a hug. Whenever her husband came to visit, she glowed.
He was a nice man, very polite and as friendly as his wife. I had grown quite attached to them and was always glad to care for her.

I admired their expression of love. Daily, he brought her fresh flowers and a smile, then sat by her bed as they held hands and talked quietly.
When the pain was too much and she cried or became confused, he hugged her gently in his arms and whispered until she rested. He spent every available moment at her bedside, giving her small sips of water and stroking her brow. Every night, before he left for home, he closed the door so they could spend time alone together. When he was gone, we'd find her sleeping peacefully with a smile on her lips.

On this night, however, things were different. As soon as I entered report, the day nurses informed us she had steadily taken a turn for the worse and wouldn't make it through the night. Although I was sad, I knew that this was for the best. At least my friend wouldn't be in pain any longer.

I left report and checked on her first. When I entered the room, she aroused and smiled weakly, but her breathing was labored and I could tell it wouldn't be long. Her husband sat beside her, smiling, too, and said,
"My Love is finally going to get her reward."

Tears came to my eyes, so I asked if they needed anything and left quickly. I offered care and comfort throughout the evening, and at about midnight she passed away with her husband still holding her hand. I consoled him and with tears running down his cheeks he said, "May I please be alone with her for awhile?" I hugged him and closed the door behind me.

I stood outside the room, blotting my tears and missing my friend and her smile. And I could feel the pain of her husband in my own heart. Suddenly
from the room came the most beautiful male voice I have ever heard singing. It was almost haunting the way it floated through the halls. All of the other nurses stepped out into the hallways to listen as he sang "Beautiful Brown Eyes" at the top of his lungs.

When the tune faded, the door opened and he called to me. He looked me in the eyes then hugged me saying, "I sang that song to her every night from the first day we met. Normally I close the door and keep my voice down so as not to disturb the other patients. But I had to make sure she heard me tonight as she was on her way to heaven. She had to know that she will always be my forever love. Please apologize to anyone I bothered. I just don't know how I will make it without her, but I will continue to sing to her every night. Do you think she will hear me?"

I nodded my head "yes," unable to stop my tears. He hugged me again, kissed my cheek, and thanked me for being their nurse and friend. He thanked the other nurses, then turned and walked down the hall, his back hunched, whistling the song softly as he went.

As I watched him leave I prayed that I, too, would someday know that kind of forever love.

babymac13 SG

There is this old couple with a son and a daughter, their son is grown up and working. Their only daughter is a bright child since young and she is the only child in the house to go into the university. They are so happy when they know that she is able to enter U and provide her with the best although they were poor and it’s heavy burden to support her through U and dote on her the most. But after finishing her final year, her character started to change, she become agitated easily and eccentric, she isolated herself from others. No body knows why but some say may be she studies too hard during her U time until her brain was damaged or some say she is being possessed. After graduating, they hope she will find a job quickly so that she will think too much at home and also hope that she could help the family financially.

But no, she didn’t managed to find a job because her condition was getting bad to worst, she will complain of hearing someone scolding her or seeing shadows. She become very particular about her look, keep saying she is very ugly and it will take her about 2 hours to get ready if she is going out because she will keep combing her over again. Everyday, she will eat, watch TV, eat, sleep. Initially, the old couple is very angry because they think she is very unreasonable and irresponsible, they will keep nagging at her. However, the more they nagged the more frustrated the daughter will be. She started to scold and curse her parents, whatever you can think of, she will say it out. The old couple is at their wits end, they started to bring her to temple to visit the monk, ‘teo tan’, Tibet’s monk etc, you name it, they will bring her there but sadly she don’t seem to improve and its getting worst. They also bring her to see a psychiatrist but situation don’t seem to improve much although she is on medication. She refused to let them follow her to see the doctor although she will take money from them every month claiming that it’s for the consultation because she accused them of betraying her to the doctor by telling them too much of her things. They have use both hard and soft approach on her but she don’t seem to response to it.

Living with her is a very stressful and frightening experience, she will quarrel or shout out loud to you on the slightest dissatisfaction and she will always bang the door suddenly which caused you to jump up regardless it’s daytime or in the middle of the night. She can keep banging the door or throw things around in the night if she think you are not happy with her or without reason, she can don’t sleep because she already slept in the day but not the couple or their son. She call the father ‘dirty old man’ and told him not to mess up with her because he ‘wan bu chi’. The son cant take it anymore and one day have a big fight with her, after that, he move out of the house. The couple was very sad because they didn’t expect the family to breakout in this way at their age, they told their son to be more understanding and ignore her but the son does not want to move back because he told them that that night he move out is the most peaceful night he ever had for these few years. Truly, he said that he always have a very heavy heart whenever it’s time to go home because the atmosphere inside is one of despair, tense and hopelessness, there is no smiling faces or happy moments because everyone do not know when she will blow up again. They know that they cant convince him to go back and went back disappointedly to face the situation on their own. They didn’t tell him that they need his support and he is their only hope and comfort now, no they didn’t said it because they don’t want to force him.

From then onwards, he will avoid going back to the house to visit his parents and meet them somewhere outside. This goes on for another 2 years, by then, their daughter already have been staying in the house doing nothing for 5 years. She really do nothing except eat, watch tv and sleep, they have to clean up for her after eating/drinking, buy breakfast for her no matter how tired or sick are you, wash her clothes, you even have to clear her sanitary pad which she is too last to throw. Some said in the previous life, the couple and daughter must have very deep hatred an she is here in this life to torture them. When things become to difficult to bear, they will just sit inside their room looking at each other and cry. Thing turn to worst when she try to hit her father and she was slightly scratch during the struggle, you don’t believe it, she demand them to give her money to see a doctor!

One day when the son met up with his father, the father told him that he has been coughing and feeling unwell for the past 3 weeks and the doctor recommend him to go for a X-ray. The father want the son to accompany him to x-ray but the son cant make it due to work commitment, so he went alone. After one week, the father called the son, telling him that the doctor said he has cancer in his lung and need further examination. The son cant believe it because his father is not a smoker at all. So he accompanied his father for the detail examination and the result is that it’s end stage lung cancer and he has only about 6 months to live. The father was devastated when the doctor told him that because his face suddenly turn white and blank. From that day onwards, his health decline rapidly and on the second months, he is unable to sit up by himself anymore and need people to carry him to bath, toilet and eating. One day, the mother saw the father sitting on the sofa alone with tears rolling down his cheeks, she didn’t disturb him because she too is crying. He has slog hard for the whole family the entire life and the day before he was told of his sickness, he is still working. You can said that he work till the last day of his life without rest or pleasure. Up to that day, he still worry that without working how is he going to support the family and foot the medical bill. The son told him not to worry and he will take care of everything.

On the third month, the doctor said the cancer has spread and he is left with less than a month to live. He is taken to the hospice where there is professional nurse to take care of his daily needs and medicine to reduce his pain. However, he is very reluctant to go just like that, he once told his son to cut off his lung if necessary to cure him but the son didn’t tell him that the doctor have told the son that if his father fell into coma, the doctor will not do anything to resuscitate him to shorten his pain. Most importantly, he missed his wife, children and grandson. The daughter went to see him but he refuse to look at her or hold her hands because most people thinks that he has cancer because after these few years of mental torture by her has weaken his health and caused cancer to form. However, the mother manages to persuade him to forgive and forget, to leave this world without any regret and hatred so that he will have a good life next time. The nurse told them that his father suddenly request the nurse to wheel him out to the garden one night and he lie there looking up the sky for a long time. The next day the doctor told the son that his father might not able to make it through the next 48 hrs so he stay overnight in the hospice to accompany him. In the middle of the night, his father wake up and with a soft voice remind him to take his mother to hospital for check up for her kidney problem and tell him to take good care of his mother and not to give up on his sister. Till the last moment before he die, he still concern about his wife health and the son discovered that all along, his father never give up hope on his only daughter and wish that she will be recover one day and be the daughter he once dote on dearly. Morning come, his father open his eye again speaking with a soft voice asking for his wife. The son told him that she will be arriving soon and told him to hold on. When the wife finally arrived, the son wake up the father and he open his eyes staring at the wife with tears in his eyes and close his eyes, that is the last time he ever open his eye again although he still breathing. The son sat beside his father and saw his father finally breath out his last breath and pass away in the evening very reluctantly. The son cry uncontrollably, feeling sad for his father slogging for his whole life till the very last day of his life and the feeling of losing his father forever. He felt he has not done enough to lighten his load and share his burden. He know he will feel regret for rest of his life.

mhcampboy SG

Wow... such a strong dedication towards love.

Crying or Very sad

babymac13 SG

A Friend on the Line By Jennings Michael Burch

Even before I finished dialing, I somehow knew I'd made a mistake. The phone rang once, twice - then someone picked it up.
"You got the wrong number!" a husky male voice snapped before the line went dead. Mystified, I dialed again.

"I said you got the wrong number!" came the voice. Once more the phone clicked in my ear.

How could he possibly know I had a wrong number? At that time, I worked for the New York City Police Department. A cop is trained to be curious
and concerned. So I dialed a third time.

"Hey, c'mon," the man said. "Is this you again?"
"Yeah, it's me," I answered. "I was wondering how you knew I had the wrong number before I even said anything."
"You figure it out!" The phone slammed down.

I sat there awhile, the receiver hanging loosely in my fingers. I called the man back.

"Did you figure it out yet?" he asked.
"The only thing I can think of is...nobody ever calls you."
"You got it!" The phone went dead for the fourth time. Chuckling, I dialed the man back.

"What do you want now?" he asked.

"I thought I'd call...just to say hello."

"Hello? Why?"

"Well, if nobody ever calls you, I thought maybe I should."

"Okay. Hello. Who is this?"

At last I had gotten through. Now he was curious. I told him who I was and asked who he was.

"My name's Adolf Meth. I'm 88 years old, and I haven't had this many wrong numbers in one day in 20 years!" We both laughed.

We talked for 10 minutes. Adolf had no family, no friends. Everyone he had been close to had died. Then we discovered we had something in common:
he'd worked for the New York City Police Department for nearly 40 years. Telling me about his days there as an elevator operator, he seemed interesting, even friendly. I asked if I could call him again.

"Why would you wanta do that?" he asked,surprised.

"Well, maybe we could be phone friends. You know, like pen pals."

He hesitated. "I wouldn't mind...having a friend again." His voice sounded a little tentative.

I called Adolf the following afternoon and several days after that. Easy to talk with, he related his memories of World Wars I and II, the
Hindenburg disaster and other historic events. He was fascinating. I gave him my home and office numbers so he could call me. He did - almost every day.

I was not just being kind to a lonely old man. Talking with Adolf was important to me, because I, too, had a big gap in my life. Raised in
orphanages and foster homes, I never had a father. Gradually, Adolf took on a kind of fatherly importance to me. I talked about my job and college courses, which I attended at night.

Adolf warmed to the role of counselor. While discussing a disagreement I'd had with a supervisor, I told my new friend, "I think I ought to have it out with him."

"What's the rush?" Adolf cautioned. "Let things cool down. When you get as old as I am, you find out that time takes care of a lot. If things get
worse, then you can talk to him."

There was a long silence. "You know," he said softly, "I'm talking to you just the way I'd talk to a boy of my own. I always wanted a family and
children. You're too young to know how that feels."

No, I wasn't. I'd always wanted a family - and a father. But I didn't say anything, afraid I wouldn't be able to hold back the hurt I'd felt for so long.

One evening Adolf mentioned his 89th birthday was coming up. After buying a piece of fiberboard, I designed a 2' x 5' greeting card with a cake and
89 candles on it.I asked all the cops in my office and even the police commissioner to sign
it. I gathered nearly a hundred signatures. Adolf would get a kick out of this, I knew.

We'd been talking on the phone for four months now, and I thought this would be a good time to meet face to face. So I decided to deliver the
card by hand.

I didn't tell Adolf I was coming; I just drove to his address one morning and parked the car up the street from his apartment house.

A postman was sorting mail in the hallway when I entered the building. He nodded as I checked the mailboxes for Adolf's name. There it was.
Apartment 1H, some 20 feet from where I stood.

My heart pounded with excitement. Would we have the same chemistry in person that we had on the phone? I felt the first stab of doubt. Maybe he
would reject me the way my father rejected me when he went out of my life. I tapped on Adolf's door. When there was no answer, I knocked harder.

The postman looked up from his sorting. "No one's there," he said.

"Yeah," I said, feeling a little foolish. "If he answers his door the way he answers his phone, this may take all day."

"You a relative or something?"

"No. Just a friend."

"I'm really sorry," he said quietly, "but Mr. Meth died day before yesterday."

Died? Adolf? For a moment, I couldn't answer. I stood there in shock and disbelief. Then, pulling myself together, I thanked the postman and
stepped into the late morning sun. I walked toward the car, misty-eyed.

Then, rounding a corner, I saw a church, and a line from the Old Testament leaped to mind: A friend loveth at all times. And especially in death, I realized. This brought a moment of recognition. Often it takes some sudden and sad turn of events to awaken us to the beauty of a special presence in our lives.
Now, for the first time, I sensed how very close Adolf and I had become. It had been easy, and I
knew this would make it even easier the next time, with my next close friend.

Slowly, I felt a warmth surging through me. I heard Adolf's growly voice shouting, "Wrong number!" Then I heard him asking why I wanted to call again.

"Because you mattered, Adolf," I said aloud to no one. "Because I was your friend."

I placed the unopened birthday card on the back seat of my car and got behind the wheel. Before starting the engine, I looked over my shoulder.
"Adolf," I whispered, "I didn't get the wrong number at all. I got you."

babymac13 SG

This story touches me extremely.

One fine day, an old couple around the age of 70, walks into a lawyer's office.Apparently, they r there to file a divorce. Lawyer was very puzzled, after havin a chat with them, he got their story....

This couple had been quarrelin all their 40 over yrs of marriage, nothing ever seems to go right.They hang on coz of their children, afraid tat it might affect their up-bringing. Now, all their children have already grown up, have their own family, there's nothing else the old couple have to worry about, all they wanted is to lead their own life free from all these yrs of unhappiness from their marriage, so both agree on a divorce....
Lawyer was having a hard time tryin to get the papers done, coz he felt tat after 40 yrs of marriage at the age of 70, he couldnt understand why the old couple would still wants a divorce...
while they were signing the papers, the wife told the husband..
"I really love u, but i really cant carry on anymore,i'm sorry.." "its o.k, i understand.." said the husband.

Lookin at this, the lawyer suggested a dinner together, just 3 of them, wife tot, why not, since they r still gonna be frends..

At the dining table, there was a silence of awkardness. The first dish was roasted chicken, immediately, the old man took the drumstick for the old lady..
"take this, its ur favourite.." lookin at this, the lawyer tot maybe theres still a chance, but the wife was frowning when she answer..
"this is always the problem, u always think so highly of urself, never tot abt how i feel, dun u know tat i hate drumsticks?"
Little did she know tat, over the yrs, the husband have been trying all ways to please her,little did she know tat drumsticks was the husband's favourite.Little did he know tat she never tot he understand her at all,little did he know tat she hates drumsticks even thou all he wants is the best for her.
That nite, both of them couldnt sleep, toss and turn, toss and turn...after hours, the old man couldnt take it anymore, he knows that he still loves her, and he cant carry on life without her, he wants her back, he wants to tell her, he is sorry, he wanted to tell her "i love u"...
He picks up the phone, startin dialing her number....ringing never stops..he never stop dialing....On the other side,she was sad, she couldnt understand how come after all these yrs, he still doesnt understand her at all, she loves him alot, but she just cant take it anymore....phone's ringing, she refuses to answer, knowin tat its him..."wats the point of tokin now tat its over...i have ask for it and now i wanna keep it this way, if not i will lose face.."she tot... still ringing...she have decided to pull out the cord...
Little did she remember, he have heart problems...
The next day, she received news that he had passed away...she rushed down to his apartment, saw his body, lying on the couch still holdin on to the phone...he had a heart attack when he was still tryin to get thru her phone line....
As sad as she could be...she will have to clear his belongins...when she was lookin thru the drawers, she saw this insurance policy, dated from the day they got married, beneficiary of coz its her... together in tat file, theres this note...
"To my dearest wife, by the time u r readin this, i'm sure i'm no longer around, i bought this policy for u, thou the amount is only $100k, i hope it will be able to help me continue my promise tat i have made when we got married, i might not be around anymore, i want this amount of money to continue takin care of u, just like the way i will if i could have live longer..i want u to know i will always be around, by ur side...i love u" Tears flowed like river......

alvin-ncs SG

more pls…

babymac13 SG

U mean the stories?

Smile Smile

Pls refers to the earlier thread for more.

http://www.sgforums.com/?action=thread_display&thread_id=199335&page=0

Phoebie SG

Originally posted by babymac13:
[b]This story touches extremely.

One fine day, an old couple around the age of 70, walks into a lawyer's office.Apparently, they r there to file a divorce. Lawyer was very puzzled, after havin a chat with them, he got their story....

This couple had been quarrelin all their 40 over yrs of marriage, nothing ever seems to go right.They hang on coz of their children, afraid tat it might affect their up-bringing. Now, all their children have already grown up, have their own family, there's nothing else the old couple have to worry about, all they wanted is to lead their own life free from all these yrs of unhappiness from their marriage, so both agree on a divorce....
Lawyer was having a hard time tryin to get the papers done, coz he felt tat after 40 yrs of marriage at the age of 70, he couldnt understand why the old couple would still wants a divorce...
while they were signing the papers, the wife told the husband..
"I really love u, but i really cant carry on anymore,i'm sorry.." "its o.k, i understand.." said the husband.

Lookin at this, the lawyer suggested a dinner together, just 3 of them, wife tot, why not, since they r still gonna be frends..

At the dining table, there was a silence of awkardness. The first dish was roasted chicken, immediately, the old man took the drumstick for the old lady..
"take this, its ur favourite.." lookin at this, the lawyer tot maybe theres still a chance, but the wife was frowning when she answer..
"this is always the problem, u always think so highly of urself, never tot abt how i feel, dun u know tat i hate drumsticks?"
Little did she know tat, over the yrs, the husband have been trying all ways to please her,little did she know tat drumsticks was the husband's favourite.Little did he know tat she never tot he understand her at all,little did he know tat she hates drumsticks even thou all he wants is the best for her.
That nite, both of them couldnt sleep, toss and turn, toss and turn...after hours, the old man couldnt take it anymore, he knows that he still loves her, and he cant carry on life without her, he wants her back, he wants to tell her, he is sorry, he wanted to tell her "i love u"...
He picks up the phone, startin dialing her number....ringing never stops..he never stop dialing....On the other side,she was sad, she couldnt understand how come after all these yrs, he still doesnt understand her at all, she loves him alot, but she just cant take it anymore....phone's ringing, she refuses to answer, knowin tat its him..."wats the point of tokin now tat its over...i have ask for it and now i wanna keep it this way, if not i will lose face.."she tot... still ringing...she have decided to pull out the cord...
Little did she remember, he have heart problems...
The next day, she received news that he had passed away...she rushed down to his apartment, saw his body, lying on the couch still holdin on to the phone...he had a heart attack when he was still tryin to get thru her phone line....
As sad as she could be...she will have to clear his belongins...when she was lookin thru the drawers, she saw this insurance policy, dated from the day they got married, beneficiary of coz its her... together in tat file, theres this note...
"To my dearest wife, by the time u r readin this, i'm sure i'm no longer around, i bought this policy for u, thou the amount is only $100k, i hope it will be able to help me continue my promise tat i have made when we got married, i might not be around anymore, i want this amount of money to continue takin care of u, just like the way i will if i could have live longer..i want u to know i will always be around, by ur side...i love u" Tears flowed like river......

[/b]

Crying or Very sad this story is so touching

babymac13 SG

Part I

As I walked home one freezing day, I stumbled on a wallet someone had lost in the street. I picked it up and looked inside to find some identification so I could call the owner. But the wallet contained only three dollars and a crumpled letter that looked as if it had been in there for years.

The envelope was worn and the only thing that was legible on it was the return address. I started to open the letter, hoping to find some clue. Then I saw the dateline - 1924. The letter had been written almost sixty years earlier.

It was written in a beautiful feminine handwriting, on powder-blue stationery with a little flower in the left-hand corner. It was a "Dear John" letter that told the recipient, whose name appeared to be Michael, that the writer could not see him any more because her mother forbade it. Even so, she wrote that she would always love him. It was signed Hannah.

It was a beautiful letter, but there was no way, except for the name Michael, to identify the owner. Maybe if I called information, the operator could find a phone listing for the address on the envelope.

"Operator," I began, "this is an unusual request. I'm trying to find the owner of a wallet that I found. Is there any way you can tell me if there is a phone number for an address that was on an envelope in the wallet?"

She suggested I speak with her supervisor, who hesitated for a moment, then said, "Well, there is a phone listing at that address, but I can't give you the number." She said as a courtesy, she would call that number, explain my story and ask whoever answered if the person wanted her to connect me. I waited a few minutes and then the
supervisor was back on the line. "I have a party who will speak with you."

I asked the woman on the other end of the line if she knew anyone by the name of Hannah. She gasped. "Oh! We bought this house from a family who had a daughter named Hannah. But that was thirty years ago!" "Would you know where that family could be located now?" I asked.

"I remember that Hannah had to place her mother in a nursing home some years ago," the woman said. "Maybe if you got in touch with them, they might be able to track down the daughter."

She gave me the name of the nursing home, and I called the number. The woman on the phone told me the old lady had passed away some years ago, but the nursing home did have a phone number for where the daughter might be living.

I thanked the person at the nursing home and phoned the number she gave me. The woman who answered explained that Hannah herself was now living in a nursing home.

"This whole thing is stupid,' I thought to myself. 'Why am I making such a big deal over finding the owner of a wallet that has only three dollars and a letter that is almost sixty years old?'

Nevertheless, I called the nursing home in which Hannah was supposed to be living, and the man who answered the phone told me, "Yes, Hannah is staying with us."

Even though it was already 10 P.M., I asked if I could come by to see her. "Well," he said hesitatingly, "if you want to take a chance, she might be in the day room watching television."

I thanked him and drove over to the nursing home. The night nurse and a guard greeted me at the door. We went up to the third floor of the large building. In the day room, the nurse introduced me to Hannah. She was a sweet,
silver-haired old-timer with a warm smile and a twinkle in her eye.

I told her about finding the wallet and showed her the letter. The second she saw the powder-blue envelope with that little flower on the left, she took a deep breath and said, "Young man, this letter was the last contact I ever
had with Michael."

She looked away for a moment, deep in thought, and then said softly, "I loved him very much. But I was only sixteen at the time and my mother felt I was too young. Oh, he was so handsome. He looked like Sean Connery, the actor.

"Yes," she continued, "Michael Goldstein was a wonderful person. If you should find him, tell him I think of him often. And," she hesitated for a moment, almost biting her lip, "tell him I still love him. You know," she said, smiling as tears welled up in her eyes, "I never did marry. I guess no one ever matched up to Michael..."

I thanked Hannah and said good-bye. I took the elevator to the first floor and as I stood by the door, the guard there asked, "Was the old lady able to help you?"

I told him she had given me a lead. "At least I have a last name. But I think I'll let it go for a while. I spent almost the whole day trying to find the owner of this wallet."

babymac13 SG

Part II

I had taken out the wallet, which was a simple brown leather case with red lacing on the side. When the guard saw it, he said, "Hey, wait a minute! That's Mr. Goldstein's wallet. I'd know it anywhere with that bright red lacing. He's always losing that wallet. I must have found it in the halls at least three times."

"Who's Mr. Goldstein?" I asked, as my hand began to shake.

"He's one of the old-timers on the eighth floor.
That's Mike Goldstein's wallet for sure. He must have lost it on one of his walks."

I thanked the guard and quickly ran back to the nurse's office. I told her what the guard had said. We went back to the elevator and got on. I prayed that Mr. Goldstein would be up.

On the eighth floor, the floor nurse said, "I think he's still in the day room. He likes to read at night. He's a darling old man."

We went to the only room that had any lights on, and there was a man reading a book. The nurse went over to him and asked if he had lost his wallet. Mr. Goldstein looked up with surprise, put his hand in his back pocket and said, "Oh, it is missing!"

"This kind gentleman found a wallet and we wondered if it could be yours."

I handed Mr. Goldstein the wallet, and the second he saw it, he smiled with relief and said, "Yes, that's it! It must have dropped out of my pocket this afternoon. I want to give you a reward."

"No, thank you," I said. "But I have to tell you
something. I read the letter in the hope of finding out who owned the wallet."

The smile on his face suddenly disappeared. "You read that letter?"

"Not only did I read it, I think I know where Hannah is."

He suddenly grew pale. "Hannah? You know where she is? How is she? Is she still as pretty as she was? Please, please tell me," he begged.

"She's fine...just as pretty as when you knew her," I said softly.

The old man smiled with anticipation and asked, "Could you tell me where she is? I want to call her tomorrow."

He grabbed my hand and said, "You know something, mister? I was so in love with that girl that when that letter came, my life literally ended. I never married. I guess I've always loved her."

"Michael," I said, "come with me."

We took the elevator down to the third floor. The hallways were darkened and only one or two little night lights lit our way to the day room, where Hannah was sitting alone, watching the television.

The nurse walked over to her.

"Hannah," she said softly, pointing to Michael, who was waiting with me in the doorway. "Do you know this man?"

She adjusted her glasses, looked for a moment, but didn't say a word.

Michael said softly, almost in a whisper, "Hannah, it's Michael. Do you remember me?"

She gasped. "Michael! I don't believe it! Michael! It's you! My Michael!

He walked slowly toward her, and they embraced. The nurse and I left with tears streaming down our faces.

"See," I said. "See how the good Lord works! If it's meant to be, it will be."

About three weeks later, I got a call at my office from the nursing home. "Can you break away on Sunday to attend a wedding? Michael and Hannah are going to tie the knot!"

It was a beautiful wedding, with all the people at the nursing home dressed up to join in the celebration. Hannah wore a light beige dress and looked beautiful. Michael wore a dark blue suit and stood tall. They made me their best man.

The hospital gave them their own room, and if you ever wanted to see a seventy-six-year-old bride and a seventy-nine-year-old groom acting like two teenagers, you had to see this couple.

A perfect ending for a love affair that had lasted nearly sixty years.

This story sound so unbelievable and yet so touching. Embarassed

No wonder they say our lives are like a play, full of surprises along the life path we went.

alvin-ncs SG

touching... Wink

missqi SG

nice. Very Happy

babymac13 SG

Love is Blind; Friendship closes its Eyes

"Love, I read somewhere, is blind, but friendship closes its eyes."

How true.

The older I get, the more I value friends. Yet, ironically, I find that it is now not only harder for me to maintain old friendships, but also to form new ones. When I was in school, friendships came naturally. My friends and I moved in a pack - we ate, studied, gossiped and partied together. We exchanged secrets and gifts, sent cards and gave treats. Our friendships were firm, and sweet.

By the time I start working life. Through sheer proximity and the amount oftime spent together, it was inevitable that some colleagues became more than co-workers.

The saddest thing about friendship is that it can die. It doesn't come with a lifelong guarantee. Distance is one killer. Unless you are diligent in keeping in touch with a friend, being far away can drive a wedge in your relationship. Changes in circumstance is another. It has been said that a friend in power is a friend lost, and I have found this to be true.

When a friend moves up in life, he will become too busy for you, while youdon't want to risk rejection by trying to keep in contact with him or her.

Marriages have also caused friendships to fade as your spouse might not take to your friends. Then there are friendships that die because they have simply run their course.

I had a close female friend whom I had known since we were both 17. About four years back, after 16 years of keeping in touch through the mail, long hours on the phone and giggly lunches, our friendship died. Just like that. There was no quarrel, no disagreement, no underlying unhappiness or animosity or hurts. The plug was just pulled.

The last time we saw each other was at lunch - in fact, it was to celebrate her birthday. We were our usual loud selves. After the meal, we gave our usual hug, said our usual cheery goodbyes and made our usual promise to meet again. We didn't call each other for weeks (which was normal, as we were both busy), then months (which began to feel a bit strange, but nothing to be alarmed about), then, yes, years (by then, it was too late toresuscitate the friendship).

We did talk once, last year, when my father died and she called. I was grateful to hear from her and I know it took a lot for her to pick up the phone after so many years.

I wish nothing but the best for her, and am always glad to hear from mutual friends that she is well. Yet, I know that if we were to bump into each other today, it would feel awkward.

IF I value friendship so much, why don't I just go forth and make more friends?

British writer Virginia Woolf once said: 'I have lost friends, some by death - others by sheer inability to cross the street.'"

So the next time I see my friends, I make sure I muster all my courage to goover & say hi ...

For that's all it'll take to maintain the friendship... thanks for taking time to read... & thanks for being my friend.

babymac13 SG

Her name was Mrs. Thompson. As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie. Like most
teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same.

But that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard. Mrs. Thompson had watched
Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn't play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a
bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs. Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and the F's on his papers.

At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, ! she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However,
when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise. Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners...he is a joy to be around"

His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."

His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death had been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."

Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."

By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself.
She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His
present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one quarter full of perfume.

But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.

Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to."
After the children left she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, and writing, and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets."

A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.

Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honors. He assured Mrs.Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had
in his whole life.

Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a
little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer the
letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.

The story doesn't end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was going to be married. He
explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit in the place at the wedding
that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.

Of course, Mrs.Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together. They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank
you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference."

Mrs.Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a
difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."

Warm someone's heart today . . . pass this along. Please remember that wherever you go, and whatever you do, you will have the opportunity to
touch and/or change a person's outlook. Please try to do it in a positive way. Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have
trouble remembering how to fly."

babymac13 SG

A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it everyday. He climbed to the tree top, ate the
apples, took a nap under the shadow... He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him. Time went by...the little boy had grown up and he
no longer played around the tree everyday.

One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad. "Come and play with me," the tree asked the boy.
"I am no longer a kid, I don't play around trees anymore." The boy replied,

"I want toys. I need money to buy them."
"Sorry, but I don't have money... but you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money.
" The boy was so excited. He grabbed all the apples on the tree and left happily.
The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.

One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited. "Come and play with me" the tree said.
"I don't have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?"
"Sorry, but I don't have a house. But you can chop off my branches to build your house."
So the boy cut all the branches of the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy never came back since then.

The tree was again lonely and sad.

One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted.
"Come and play with me!" the tree said.
"I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?"

"Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy."
So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time.

Finally, the boy returned after he left for many years.
"Sorry, my boy. But I don't have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you.." the tree said.
"I don't have teeth to bite" the boy replied.
"No more trunk for you to climb on"
"I am too old for that now" the boy said.
"I really can't give you anything ... the only thing left is my dying roots" the tree said with tears.
"I don't need much now, just a place to rest.
I am tired after all these years." The boy replied.
"Good! Old tree roots is the best place to lean on and rest. "Come, Come sit down with me and rest." The boy sat down and the tree was glad
and smiled with tears.......

This is a story of everyone. The tree is our parent. When we were young, we loved to play with Mom and Dad... When we grown up, we left them...
only came to them when we need something or when we are in trouble. No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they could to
make you happy. You may think the boy is cruel to
the tree but that's how all of us are treating our parent

alvin-ncs SG

the few post in front is touching...

but this 1 i hear be4...many times lao... Neutral

keep up the good work... Mr. Green

Cool-gal SG

keep it going...
this is seriously touched me, til i Crying or Very sad
good...

alvin-ncs SG

Sad

Allen.Iverson SG

haha nice stories =)