Today's a Special Day

[solidoxygen]

What I saw and thought today...

A few years ago, I had a piano teacher who was like an unofficial grandmother to me (since my real grandparents all live in China). Every Mothers' Day or Christmas for example, we'd take her somewhere nice and eat. She was a kind and intelligent woman. Her son had died before from cancer, and because of her regretful past, she always treated me and my brother with utmost generosity. In fact the computer I'm using right now, although not the best of computers, was a gift from her. A few hundred dollars, given without a second thought...and it's not like she was rich either. By our standards, she lived a modest life in a small one story house by herself. Despite her old age, she was clear-minded because of the countless years she spent playing the piano. When she sat down at a piano, her old bones seemed invigorated with renewed energy, the sap of her youth found their way back into her body and fingers, and if you closed your eyes, you would never think that a woman who is much past her prime could possibly be producing this energetic tune. She presented a bright outlook on life. Look at her! She lost her husband after coming to America, her beloved son had died, and she had diabetes. Yet no matter what, she retained her cheer. She was beautiful even in her old age.

A few month ago, this bright, kind woman suffered a stroke. After mostly recovering, she still seemed a broken woman. While she could still walk and talk, she became helpless, dependent on other people, and her mind was no longer young. The piano that she had been playing for so many years, that had produced so many treasured memories was sold. Her modest and homely house was sold because she couldn't maintain the premises anymore. She would lament, "If only my son were still alive..." Despite help from those around her, nobody wanted to bear someone that was not of their own blood. Kind words were thrown about like cheap paper, and those with cheap facades of kindness would step away to avoid all responsibility. It's sad seeing someone who gave away a week's pay without any hesitation being ignored...simply because they wanted to take a nap. Her generosity was rewarded by abandonment and fake smiles. Her reward for her kindness was this sludge of society. Her living conditions only deteriorated more from that point. After living for a month in a Plano nursing home, her insurance company decided that they didn't want to pay so much. They made up a lie about how she tried to "run away from the nursing home" so she needed to be moved to a cheaper place in Garland. Without any siblings, no spouse, no offspring, no friends, and no hope, she could only choke back the indignation. What power did a single, broken woman have? She was moved into her new home.

I had been unaware of her situation up until now. We only knew the surface of what was happening to her. We were another family in this world, there was nothing significant about us. We parted ways every morning, we worked where ever we went, we came back each night to eat dinner together, and we slept so that we would be rested for the next day. We had a responsibility to live, not to get involved in other people's lives. We were unaware. For Mothers' Day, it was decided that we would bring her to eat since we hadn't seen her in a while. After taking her with us from the church and finishing our lunch, we went to take her home.

What we found was a Hell Hole. We were greeted by the disgusting stench of urine and disinfectant. I felt lightheaded and gagged. Everywhere I looked was a new horror. One old man was wearing pants that were completely soaked with piss. Helpless, he could only moan in distress. I couldn't help but wonder what he was like in his youth. This man, now living in his own excrement and suffering in this condition was once young. He once played with his friends, maybe there was someone who loved him, maybe he loved someone as well. His past was now covered with his age and the overwhelming power of disinfectant. Once he was a boy like me; now he is living with no dignity, no purpose. His life and everything he did in his life...all of it just led to this conclusion.

We departed after saying goodbye to my former piano teacher. She used to be a young girl, what would that girl do if she knew that she would end up here? I looked at her face one more time as I left. I saw resignation and sadness. Here she would spend the rest of her life.

Happy Mothers' Day


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[russj]

wow.. awesome story man... i love the insights too.. i thought of those things too when i see old ppl

happy mother's day indeed

[kuyah]

I can't help but believe that those people would do cruel things(lie) and make her go to that kind of place.. I worked in a Senior day care and was friends with most patients and its a sad fact that they're abandoned there cause no(family/friends) one would take care of them ;~; .

Happy Mothers day!

[mattduy]

That story is so sad. This world is so cruel.

Happy Mother's Day(even though I can't say it to her in person)

[GhostAJR]

I...no words can express how depressed and maddened this made me....it makes me wonder if this is how society will always repay, we the people...it disgusts me...and my heart goes out to all of those poor souls who are in this situation, even more to the ones who actually realize it...i know this pain as well...my grandmother is currently heading down this same path...*lightly pounds chest with tears in eyes*

Happy Mothers Day All...

[skywalk3r]

Man... I never heard this kind of sad story. This mum... will suffer like hell but in the end, she has a strong will.

Happy Mother's day...

[DoubleZeta]

... It hurts... I haven't even greeted my mother yet. The story is real man, there are several old people who are forgotten by their children everyday.

I think I'll greet my mother now. If I can muster the will to do so... It's been so long since I last greeted her Happy Mother's Day...

I think I'm gonna break down...

[sillyn00b]

Wow, that was really good.

Happy Mothers Day

[solidoxygen]

Thanks for all the nice comments

If only I could be this motivated when I write essays in school.

[avich]

That's really sad..

I want to share with you guys this story I read before.
Twenty years ago, I drove a cab for a living. It was a cowboy's life, a life for someone who wanted no boss. What I didn't realize was that it was also a ministry. Because I drove the night shift, my cab became a moving confessional. Passengers climbed in, sat behind me in total anonymity, and told me about their lives. I encountered people whose lives amazed me, ennobled me, made me laugh and weep.

But none touched me more than a woman I picked up late one August night. I was responding to a call from a small brick four-plex in a quiet part of town. I assumed I was being sent to pick up some party people, or someone who had just had a fight with a lover, or a worker heading to an early shift at some factory in the industrial part of town.

When I arrived at 2:30 a.m., the building was dark except for a single light in a ground floor window. Under such circumstances, many drivers just honk once or twice, wait a minute, then drive away. But I had seen too many impoverished people who depended on taxis as their only means of transportation. Unless a situation smelled of danger, I always went to the door. This passenger might be someone who needs my assistance, I reasoned to myself. So I walked to the door and knocked.

"Just a minute," answered a frail, elderly voice. I could hear something being dragged across the floor. After a long pause, the door opened. A small woman in her 80's stood before me. She was wearing a print dress and a pillbox hat with a veil pinned on it, like somebody out of a 1940s movie. By her side was a small nylon suitcase. The apartment looked as if no one had lived in it for years. All the furniture was covered with sheets. There were no clocks on the walls, no knickknacks or utensils on the counters. In the corner was a cardboard box filled with photos and glassware.

"Would you carry my bag out to the car?" she asked.

I took the suitcase to the cab, then returned to assist the woman. She took my arm and we walked slowly toward the curb. She kept thanking me for my kindness.

"It's nothing," I told her. "I just try to treat my passengers the way I would want my mother treated."

"Oh, you're such a good boy," she said.

When we got in the cab, she gave me an address, then asked, "Can you drive through downtown?"

"It's not the shortest way," I answered quickly.

"Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I'm in no hurry. I'm on my way to a hospice."

I looked in the rearview mirror. Her eyes were glistening. "I don't have any family left," she continued. "The doctor says I don't have very long."

I quietly reached over and shut off the meter. "What route would you like me to take?" I asked.

For the next two hours, we drove through the city. She showed me the building where she had once worked as an elevator operator. We drove through the neighborhood where she and her husband had lived when they were newlyweds. She had me pull up in front of a furniture warehouse that had once been a ballroom where she had gone dancing as a girl. Sometimes she'd ask me to slow in front of a particular building or corner and would sit staring into the darkness, saying nothing.

As the first hint of sun was creasing the horizon, she suddenly said, "I'm tired. Let's go now."

We drove in silence to the address she had given me. It was a low building, like a small convalescent home, with a driveway that passed under a portico. Two orderlies came out to the cab as soon as we pulled up. They were solicitous and intent, watching her every move. They must have been expecting her.

I opened the trunk and took the small suitcase to the door. The woman was already seated in a wheelchair.

"How much do I owe you?" she asked, reaching into her purse.

"Nothing," I said.

"You have to make a living," she answered.

"There are other passengers," I responded.

Almost without thinking, I bent and gave her a hug. She held onto me tightly. "You gave an old woman a little moment of joy," she said. "Thank you."

I squeezed her hand, then walked into the dim morning light. Behind me, a door shut. It was the sound of the closing of a life.

I didn't pick up any more passengers that shift. I drove aimlessly, lost in thought. For the rest of that day, I could hardly talk. What if that woman had gotten an angry driver, or one who was impatient to end his shift? What if I had refused to take the run, or had honked once, then driven away?

On a quick review, I don't think that I have done anything more important in my life. We're conditioned to think that our lives revolve around great moments. But great moments often catch us unaware . . . beautifully wrapped in what others may consider a small one.

Author unknown

[mattduy]

Another heart felt story. It really makes you think about those kinds of moments where what if...

[AngelPrincess]

Both of the stories are so touching . The world is full of foul people except for those who are kindhearted .

[globeopinion]

wow im very touched.... that was very sad...

http://otaku-streamers.com/os_signature.php?id=11927

[takasuryuuji]

.............................touched..........
but it's a good story

[mlcdl]

Here's what I say.....People can't act according to there thought but this is my idea.

Life is full of surprising event that cause a lot

[Kurtherror]

Life is what you make it