I’ve always enjoyed chatting with my older neighbors while walking my dog. Angie is one of my favorite picket fence friends. She is in her 70s, Italian American, and is such a sweet woman.
One day she asked me if I would do her a favor. She cares for a shut-in elderly couple in my building and she wondered if I could hook up their digital TV for them. She didn’t know how. I agreed to do it.
Later that night, I walked through the door of the couple’s apartment and it felt like I hit a wall of heat. They had been heating their apartment with the oven, the oven door wide open; the landlord did not heat the building unless it was 39° or lower, and it was only 42°.
They were hanging out in front of the TV but it wasn’t on. They hadn’t had TV for weeks. They were just sitting there, the three of them, talking. While I installed their digital TV, Angie casually started discussing all that she did for the couple. She cooked for them, she went grocery shopping for them, did their laundry, and many other things out of the goodness of her heart. I was amazed… here I thought I was doing something great, merely hooking up their TV. She has devoted her life to making their lives better.
Angie is such an inspiration; the couple seemed so happy with her company. I told them I could help them in any way they needed in the future. I sat with them for a while that night, and enjoyed chatting…and watching TV.
Do you know anyone as helpful and giving as Angie? E-mail me their story at dsnyder@guideposts.org.
