Getting older can be a painful and lonely experience for some people. While we hope we will have friends and family who will stay close, that doesn’t always happen.
It’s easy for the rest of us to go on with our lives and not think about the sadness or pain others around us are feeling, but it’s stories like this one that stop us in our tracks and help us look at the world around us with a fresh pair of eyes.
Marleen Brooks had just gotten home when she noticed a note on her door. Curious, she opened it up, and what she read broke her heart.
“Would you consider to become my friend,” the note read. “I’m 90 years old – live alone and all my friends have passed away. I’m so lonesome and scared. Please – I pray for someone.”
Marleen couldn’t believe her eyes, and she was heartbroken that this woman, named Wanda, had become so lonely and frightened that she had reached out to a perfect stranger for companionship.
Luckily, Wanda chose the right stranger to reach out to! Marleen turned right around and went to the store to get some cupcakes. Then she grabbed her best friend so Wanda could make two new friends that night and they made their way down the street to the elderly woman’s home.
Wanda was overjoyed to have some company and was so grateful that the two women had taken the time to come over and get to know her.
“I hope you didn’t think I was stupid for writing you,” she told Marleen, “but I had to do something. Thank you for coming over.”
She told Marleen she had lived in that house for 50 years, but she didn’t know any of her neighbors.
Marleen gave Wanda her number and told her she could call anytime. We know these new friends will have some wonderful times together going forward!
After the meetup, Marleen’s friend shared the story and then put out a plea for others to reach out to people around them who may be lonely or hurting.
“There are so many others out there who are lonely just like Wanda,” she wrote. “I would ask that maybe you consider knocking on their door and saying hi. I know it would mean the world to them.
“And who knows, maybe you’ll make a new friend.”
Do you wish more people would go out of their way to show kindness to strangers? So share this!