Day 36: Sweet Stories

I had a nice memory today. It came about while I was instructing my students on how to write their first essay describing an important event from their lives. Their goal is to write about something significant that changed them in some way or taught them an important lesson.

Believe me, I have many important events that would qualify in this category, but not ones I'd ever share with 14 year olds. Instead, I shared this:

In the years right after my grandpa's death in 1991, I used to visit the cemetery once a month or so. His grave is in a lovely spot beneath an oak tree. In those years, the tears came easily when I thought about my loss. As I sat on the curb next to his grave on one sunny afternoon, a woman came and sat next to me. She had been sitting at her mother's grave up the hill when she saw me. I don't remember the exact conversation, but I will never forget her kindness. She told me she could tell that I was sad, and felt like she needed to check on me. For a few minutes, she sat next to me with her arm around my shoulders. Then she left.

I told my students that even though the interaction last no more than 10 minutes, it has stayed with me for more than 15 years. Sometimes when I'm feeling like the world is a really crappy place, I think of that woman and her kindness. It's a sweet, sweet thought that makes me like the world again.