I’ve already told you all about how amazing I thought that my neighborhood was when I was growing up in this blog post. But I forgot to tell you about one of the best characters.
I started going to school in the first grade. My dad drove me to school everyday. On the street that led out of the neighborhood, there was a white house on the left side of the road, with a big window. One morning, my dad asked, “What were you just doing?” “Waving,” was my reply. “To who?” “To the man who sits in the window & waves.”
I can’t remember if Daddy believed me or not. But the next morning we drove past the same house & Daddy had me show him the man waving in the window. And sure enough, there was my elderly friend, sitting in his window, waving at everyone who drove by.
From that day forward, Daddy & I waved to him. It was something I anxiously & excitedly looked forward to every morning. There were few days that we forgot & those days when we did were absolutely miserable, I was so worried that the window friend was sad that he didn’t get our waves that day.
Then Maryann started going to school & sure enough she loaded up in the car with us & we taught her all about our window friend. Then we added Whitley, Thomas & John Michael in subsequent years. We all waved to the window friend.
I eventually graduated from that school, started going to high school, & high school was on a different route. But I know that Daddy & all my sibs waved to him every morning. Then one day he wasn’t there. And he never came back. We found his obituary in the paper & sure enough, his happy greetings to all those driving to school & work was mentioned. He was everyone’s window friend.
I was thinking about him today. Thinking about all the joy & happiness he spread just with a small wave. I want to be that kind of a person. I want to be uplifting, even when I’m in a terrible mood. It’s amazing how so small a gesture can make anyone’s day.What a great lesson to learn from a stranger sitting in a window.
I love stories like that! It really is amazing how a friendly smile or wave can uplift someone's day. You never know how your actions might impact a stranger.
GREAT story!!! 😀
The people in my new neighborhood are nice, but oddly un-social for a Mexican street.
I always make sure to say hi when I pass anybody. I'm always the initiator, but I always get a smile back 🙂
That is one of my favorite parts about moving from the country back into a town. I have neighbors to wave it…something so simple but it can have a lasting impression.
That is so sad, Kate! But you guys were probably a highlight to his day, too.
That is such a great story! It is so true how it sometimes only takes a small gesture like a wave to really make an impression on you and make your day! I can only hope that I have some sort of lasting impact on the people around me like he did. Hope you are having a wonderful week!
That is so sweet. I bet he did get a kick out of waving to all the kiddos. On some days, it probably gave him a reason to get up in the mornings. What a sweet old guy!
What a sweet story!
UMMM…could this be a better story?!?!
How sweet, I love little old men…LOVE!