Tara
Wood’s daughter Norah was gearing up to celebrate her fourth birthday. On the
day before her big day, Norah happened to explain to Tara her affinity for elderly
folks — their soft skin, their slow-moving gestures, and how, since they’re
reaching the end of their lifespans, she wants to “love ‘em all up before they
is died.”
Tara
was so touched by Norah’s words that she shared them on her Facebook page.
The
next day was Norah’s birthday, and after school Tara took her to the grocery
store to buy some cupcakes.
After
browsing the bakery, they stopped at a clearance section — and before Tara knew
it, Norah was standing up in the shopping cart and waving directly at an old
man standing in the same aisle.
“Hi
old person! It’s my birfday today!” she proclaimed, desperate for the
“stone-faced and furrow-browed” man to respond with just as much excitement.
Tara
was mortified that Norah called him an “old person.” She wanted to apologize
profusely, then quickly be on their way.
But
just as Tara was about to shush Norah, the elderly man stopped and turned to
look right at the little girl.
What
happened next began a chain of reactions that changed the lives of not only the
elderly man, but also Tara, Norah and their entire family.
Tara
Wood is a 40-something stay-at-home mom and freelance writer. She and her
husband Garrett have seven beautiful kids. Tara recently posted the following
story on TODAY Parenting:
“The
day before my daughter Norah’s fourth birthday, she foreshadowed a remarkable
event.
I’d
just picked her up from preschool when she cautioned me to mind the elderly
person walking across the parking lot at a glacier’s pace.
She
went on to explain that she has a soft spot for mature folks: ‘I like old
peoples the best ‘cos they walk slow like I walk slow and they has soft skin
like I has soft skin. They all gonna die soon so I’m gonna love ‘em all up
before they is died.’
Sure
it got kinda weird and dark at the the end there, but I liked where her heart
was.
I
was struck by her thoughtfulness and empathy and posted that quote as a status
update on Facebook when we got home. I had no idea how much she really meant
it.”
“The
following day — her birthday — again on the way home from school, she asked if
we could stop at the grocery store to buy celebratory cupcakes for her and her
six siblings to enjoy after dinner.
How
do you say ‘No’ to a birthday girl?”
“I
popped Norah and her younger sister in one of those enormous and cumbersome
grocery carts shaped like a car and headed toward the bakery. After we picked
up the cupcakes, I stopped at a ‘Clearance’ shelf that caught my eye.
While
I was distracted picking up and then dismissing the bottles of almost expired
Ranch dressing and cans of Ensure, Norah was busy standing up in the cart,
excitedly waving and gleefully proclaiming, ‘Hi old person! It’s my birfday
today!’
The
man was elderly, stone-faced, and furrow-browed. However, before I could
‘Shush’ her for calling him an ‘old person’ or ask the Earth to swallow me
whole, he stopped and turned to her.
If
he was troubled by my no-filter-having child, he didn’t show it. His expression
softened as he replied, ‘Well hello little lady! And how old are you today?’”
They
chatted for a few minutes, he wished her ‘Happy Birthday,’ and we went our
separate ways.”
“We
found the man a couple of aisles over and I approached him. ‘Excuse me, sir?
This is Norah and she’d like to know if you’d take a photo with her for her
birthday?’
His
expression rapidly morphed from confused to stunned to delighted.
He
took a step back, steadied himself on his shopping cart, and placed his free
hand on his chest. ‘A photo? With me?’ he asked.
‘Yes,
suh, for my birfday!’ Norah pleaded.
And
so he did. I pulled out my iPhone and they posed together. She placed her soft
hand on top of his soft hand. He wordlessly stared at her with twinkling eyes
as she kept his hand in hers and studied his skinny veins and weathered
knuckles. She kissed the top of his hand and then placed it on her cheek. He
beamed. I asked his name and he told us to call him ‘Dan.’
We
were blocking other shoppers and they didn’t care. There was magic happening in
the grocery store that day and we could all feel it. Norah and Mr. Dan sure
didn’t notice they were chatting away like long lost friends.”
“After
a few minutes, I thanked Mr. Dan for taking the time to spend a bit of his day
with us. He teared up and said, ‘No, thank YOU. This has been the best day I’ve
had in a long time. You’ve made me so happy, Miss Norah.’
They
hugged again and we walked away. Norah watched him until he was out of view.
I’d
be lying to you if I told you I wasn’t a weepy mess after their encounter.
I
was blown away by this meeting and thought maybe some of the readers on my
Facebook page might enjoy hearing about it.
I
posted the story and a photo of the two of them.”
“Later
that night, I received a private message from a local reader who recognized Mr.
Dan.
His
wife, Mary, had passed away in March and he had been lonely since his beloved
had gone. She wanted to let me know that she was certain his heart was touched
by my little girl. That he needed it and it likely would never forget it.
I
asked for his phone number and called him a few days later.”
“We
made a visit to Mr. Dan’s cozy and tidy house — reminders of Mary still proudly
displayed everywhere you look. He had gotten a haircut, shaved, and was wearing
slacks and dress shoes. He looked ten years younger.
He’d
set out a child’s table, blank paper, and crayons out for Norah. He asked if
she’d draw some pictures for him to display on his refrigerator. She happily
agreed and went right to work.
We
ended up spending nearly three hours with Mr. Dan that day. He was patient and
kind with my talkative, constantly moving girl. He wiped ketchup off of her
cheek and let her finish his chicken nuggets.”
“As
we walked him to his front door after lunch, he pulled out a pocket knife a cut
the single red rose blooming by his porch. He spent ten minutes cutting every
thorn off of the stem before handing it to his new friend.
She
keeps that rose, now dry as a bone, in a Ziploc bag under her pillow.”
“Norah
asks about Mr. Dan every day. She worries about him. She wonders if he’s
lonely, or cold, or has cheese for his sandwiches. She wants him to be okay.
She wants him to feel loved.
Mr.
Dan thinks about Norah, too. After another recent visit, he relayed that he
hadn’t had an uninterrupted night’s sleep since his wife died. He told me that
he has slept soundly every night since meeting my girl.
‘Norah
has healed me,’ he said.
That
left me speechless and my cheeks wet with tears.”
“Seventy-eight
years separate these two people in age. Somehow, their hearts and souls seem to
recognize each other from long ago.
Norah
and I have made a promise to see Mr. Dan every week — even if it’s only for
fifteen minutes, even if only for a quick hug and to drop off a cheese danish
(his favorite!).”
“I’ve
invited him to spend Thanksgiving with us. He’s part of our fවිරුද්ධාර්ථය අඟවන උපසර්ගයක්mily now. Whether
he likes it or not, he’s been absorbed into my family of nine and just like
Norah said, “we’re gonna love him all up.”
Sometimes
talking to strangers can lead to beauty full new beginnings.
Give
it a try.”
It’s
no wonder this incredible story is touching hearts all over the world. I’m so
happy Mr. Dan and Norah have found one another, and here’s to many more years
of friendship.
Please
SHARE this with your friends on Facebook, and give someone something to smile
about today.
H/T
: auntyacid.com