Oranges, treebuds and laughter!

Even though my work with Elizabeth has ended, periodically I pop in to see how she is doing. I found her sitting on her new balcony, the straw hat I bought for her balancing on the back of her head, and her feet propped up on a stool! It was wonderful to see her so content having recently moved to an assisted floor. Intending on perhaps a half hour visit turned into a two hour one, as she spoke of her life with her Ted, the love of her life for 45 years.She shared how he was too kind for this world, where others took advantage of him, to which retribution was never a thought... let alone an option. Tears surfaced when she spoke of the stomach ulcer that eventually became cancer and took her husband's life in 1976. Elizabeth has been on her own since that year, with no children. She asked if I could move a table to the balcony, teach her to work the digital tv, and look in to see if the riser for the toilet was worth the $66.00 she spent, to which I reassured her was a deal! In the 10 minutes it took to do these small tasks, the kindness shown behind the gestures will last so much longer for Elizabeth, knowing she is cared about, and worthy of such attention. While we munched on oranges, there's a budding tree that extends over the balcony railing, and Elizabeth joked that hopefully it will be an apple tree that provides free produce for her!! At 89, she remains someone to reckon with if one thinks for one second that she is stupid. She taps her index finger to her temple and quips,'' I may be OLD but STUPID I am not!'' I second that notion!