February 25, 2014

For the woman I never met

My step daughter came into the house and handed it to me. ”Dad thought you might like to do some Goggling when you see this.” 

The envelope she handed me was small, square and browned with age; the postmark was from Newport News and the year which was barely legible said 1951. Bill found it tucked under a draw of a piece of antique bedroom furniture we had just purchased that day.

It was so neatly addressed I remember thinking to myself; this person must have been taught penmanship by the nuns but that thought soon drifted out of my head as I removed the small card and examined it closely.

The front of the card had a bride dressed in white; I was enchanted by how simply lovely this card was and how remarkable it was it had survived some 61 years tucked behind a drawer. On the inside in the same neat and thoughtful hand was the name of the bride being honored and two women who were hosting the shower.

Then it hit me.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to try to find the bride and give her the invitation?  Her first name was unusual but her last name was a much more common name so I did a quick Google search without any luck. I then tried one of the hostesses’ names and I had more luck, to a degree. I found her (the hostess) obituary which was rather sad; it was however filled all the information I needed to locate my bride including her married name and the town she lived in currently.
   
Some more Goggling and I was dialing the phone and calling my bride…

Mrs. Bride answered the phone on the second ring.  I prayed I would find the right words to tell her what I found and how I found her without making her feel uncomfortable.  She was very sweet and polite but didn't offer much information nor did I expect her to. She did however confirm that the card was from her bridal shower.  I promised to send it to her and decided to add a handwritten letter.

I wondered if I’d hear from her.

Five days later I received a phone call from her. She was SO happy! As soon as she received the card she said she called all of her children to tell them and read them my letter.  Then she went on to tell me bits about her life and her family, how her sisters had honored her with the shower all those years ago. It was clear that this little card had tremendous much meaning to her and connected her to so many memories of years gone by. 

When she called me I was so honored that I could do this kindness for this woman I've never met and more than likely never will. 
It was a wonderful experience.

Have you ever done a something like this?

Would you if given the chance?

17 comments:

  1. Given the opportunity, I certainly would! What a wonderful story. My husband had something similar with a yearbook and even more exciting was when (the singer) Gene Thomas' son showed up at our door with his wife that used to be our neighbor and my hubby showed him all the photos and records he has collected of his dad's music. Records that even he didn't have. AND, we didn't even know he was Gene's son, that just came out by accident when they were discussing music.

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  2. This is so neat, Jen! I am glad you were able to track her down and send that to her! I am sure it did make her day (week, month, year). I would like to think I would try to find someone under similar circumstances.

    betty

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  3. How wonderful. It was such a nice thing for you to do to take the time to research and find this bride and bring joy to her and her family. I would certainly try and do that given the opportunity.

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    1. Ms A,
      Betty and
      Sally,
      I know you all well enough to know you'd do the same thing as nice as you all are.
      And she was just the sweetest thing!
      Funny how these things happen and bring people together...

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  4. Magical.
    How fabulous to be part of this remarkable experience. WOW. x

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  5. This is an amazing story, Jen! I love that you did the research and found her. It sounds like you really made a difference in her life. What a wonderful surprise that must have been!

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  6. Wow - that was so nice of you. I haven;t found an opportunity to do something like this. I hope to one day. That would be so awesome.

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    1. Kim, It a heart lifting !

      Jennifer, I worried when I called her she'd think I was some sort of stalker, older folks are targeted all the time by scams so I tried to be very gentle with her on the phone.

      Coffee Lady, I was very awesome! It's amazing how simple acts of kindness can lift us up...

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  7. Oh I am such a wimp. This made me tear up. This was so sweet of you Jen. I definitely would have done the same thing. I have never found any such treasure and have not delivered anything other than misplaced mail. Not nearly the same effect.

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  8. What a fabulous moment that must have been. Every emotion rolled into one big moment. I'm always moved by gestures such as yours -- people going out of their way to do something good for a complete stranger. I'm not surprised. Having read your blog over the past year, I see in you a very kind person. Good for you, Jen.

    Silvia @
    SilviaWrites

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  9. Oh Jen I have tears. What a lovely thing to do you must have made her so happy. It would have been lovely for her to find a link to her past. A girl who stayed near me when I was a child has been in touch I haven't send her for 45 yrs. She's about six years older than me and remembers lots of things about me as a child ( she remembers me being born) its so lovely to speak to someone who knew my parents and my gran,I'm going to meet her soon. It's the link to the past that makes these things so good. Well done Jen I wouldn't have expected any less of you.x

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  10. H Jen - certainly if something popped up like this - then I definitely would .. what a fascinating find and a lovely story to tell, then a brilliant happy ending ... so pleased for one and all - and particularly your bride - that will make the family's day for a long time .. and live on in memory ..

    Cheers Hilary

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    1. Kenya, You're an ole softie. She would have had you crying for sure if you had talked to you!

      Silvia, Thanks you're very sweet. I wouldn't have just tucked that card in a draw it was just calling for home.

      Anne, I think Anne as we get older we just appreciate those things more and more.

      Hilary, I would love to see my mothers bridal shower invitation so I would think it would be a found treasure for her children, especially her daughter. I felt good doing this..

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  11. Aww...this is a beautiful story! Wow...you gave this woman a priceless gift of kindness. This will be a story she can share with her family generation to generation. Love your thoughtfulness ♥

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  12. That was a wonderful, wonderful thing too do. I'm not sure I would've done the same, perhaps, I'm quite anxious about contacting people. My wife definitely would have done the same though.

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  13. hey there! i’m jenn, one of tina’s minions for the a to z blog challenge. just wanted to drop by and introduce myself and say welcome to the challenge!

    and yes, i would do something like this. i think it's pretty nifty that you followed the impulse to find that lady. nice work. :]

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  14. I would do the same thing, I think. Because I would want someone to do the same for me. I recently sent an old photo I found to an uncle of mine, and he loved it. There are so many memories attached to old photos. can you believe the a-z is here already?!

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