Jan lived four houses around the corner from me. Her parents still live there.
Jan was a nice kid. She was quiet, polite friendly and many other positive qualities. I live on a corner and sometimes Jan walked by. She always stopped for a visit if I was in the yard. It was always a conversation that moved from topic to topic. I threw a few things out to keep things going or challenge to promote a reply. I usually found out what was going on in her family , the neighborhood or school.
Sometimes Jan was happy and sometimes she was sad and down in the dumps. I'll never forget one time when she came by and she was not very happy. In fact, I thought she was going to cry. It soon came out what was wrong. She was upset with her mother. Nothing out of the ordinary. Lots of kids get upset with their mothers. But it further came out that she had used the f...word and she'd caught it from her Mom. Later she admitted that she deserved what she got. I'd like to think she went away a little better than when she came. She'd had a chance to make a confession and admit that she'd got herself into trouble. I thought that it was a good thing for Jan to be able take ownership instead of blaming somebody else for her problems. In cases like this I did not stand in judgement. She knew she could safely confess.
Jan's Dad had a monster garage sale a few weeks ago. I dropped in for a quick visit with Don. We joked back and forth about the stuff he had for sale. He thought I should buy the tap shoes! After a minute ,out of the corner of my eye I noticed somebody sitting on a stool quietly having lunch. It was a welcome site. It was Jan. Then we had a half hour visit. There was a lot she wanted to know. She's still the same person but with a set of twins and a single and one streak of gray hair! She made a remark about my retirement so I took the opportunity to get in a good dig that she was closer to retirement than she thought. She's 42 and has had a long nursing career.
Now something that she didn't know was that when I was delivering papers one day, I went to her Dad's house and I heard a little voice say,"Grandpa, the paper boy is here!" I told Jan that those were words I wouldn't forget.
It's always a pleasure for me to meet former students or former anybody.
really sweet. you were a 'safe listening ear' for her back then and it was so neat to meet her again in her new life. :)
ReplyDeleteI've found that being non judgemental goes a long way.
DeleteIt is always nice to chat with old friends! See going to garage sales is a good thing:)
ReplyDeleteI might not like garage sales but I appreciate the social part of them.
DeleteWell written.
ReplyDeleteIt is always good to reconnect with people from the past.
Is that last photo a sweet briar? It's so pretty.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, it's always great to see an old student or friend. I know she valued being able to talk to you and have a kind sounding board. This was a lovely, uplifting post.
The last photo is a prairie rose. It's a native species and is at it's peak right now. I only deal with native flowers.
DeleteAmazing what you find when visiting a yard sale.
ReplyDeleteYep and when you're not expecting anything.
DeleteI had such a teacher - he was my History Teacher and I was going to marry him when I grew up. ha,ha. So very nice Red to reconnect with former students or olde friends, eh. Jan will never forget you.
ReplyDeleteWell i don't think any of my former students had a crush on me. I wasn't the crushable kind of guy.
DeleteI agree that it's wonderful to meet up with old friends or acquaintances. We have the same name but I was never a nurse, so it wasn't me. :-)
ReplyDeleteMy family stayed in one community. I have lots of oldtimers that I still see. I'm the only one in the family who left. I'm the only one who isn't a farmer.
DeleteOld memories that help us stitch our life together.
ReplyDeleteCool word ...stitch. I like it.
DeleteThat's a neat story Red. I wish I could have been a fly-on-the-wall at the garage sale.
ReplyDeleteWe did have a good visit. She was full of questions.
DeleteWhat a great story.. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI find if you leave the judgemental stuff out people can deal with some big issues like this girl did.
DeleteVery nice reunion, I had a crush on my paper route. My 1st kiss
ReplyDeleteI had a lot of oldies on my paper route who liked to visit. Of course, I was an oldie too. I did the paper route when i was close to 70.
DeleteFun memories! It's always great to run into people you haven't seen in years.
ReplyDeleteSince I was a middle school teacher, the kids change a great deal when they become adults and I can recognize very few of them.
DeleteHow lovely to discover a face from the past, and one with such pleasant memories.
ReplyDeleteShe's often at her Mom and Dad's but just never walked by me.
DeleteSounds like you have always been a good listener, a good friend. Bet you felt special being called the paper boy, and you were. I enjoy your posts.
ReplyDeleteThe paperboy was awesome since I was by myself on the step.
DeleteI always love to run into former students, too, but sometimes it's rather jarring to see them with tall children and realize how old that makes me!
ReplyDeleteI still live in the same community that I taught in. (How did I end that sentence with a preposition!) 25% of them still live here. I've served on boards and committees with them. Fun!
DeleteA tender moment for you to enjoy.
ReplyDeleteThankyou. I like to think that she solved her problem by the time she left.
DeleteQuite a story, Red!
ReplyDeleteYou have such wonderful sories!!!t
ReplyDeleteWow! Nice to read such a beautiful story. It is always an excitement to meet our friends after a long time. We too had a meet of school friends after 30 years...
ReplyDeleteOh this was a nice touching story. I enjoyed this.
ReplyDeleteThen there she was. A nurse. I am sure she had learned many things being a nurse.
Even about depressions, and different dispositions of people. I did when I worked in a nursing home.
Your taught as you go to the patients. You have to learn there demeanor.
I looked after people with Alzheimer, depressed people.
Many others of illness's.
It's so nice to see an old friend and catch up. Have wonderful day!
ReplyDeleteI love this story!! You have a really nice way of telling a story, Red. :)
ReplyDelete