The Red Wallet
by wildcherry on Monday, January 4th, 2010 | Love, Love Story | No Comments
As you read through this story, i want you to ask yourself: what would you do to the wallet?
The Red Wallet
As I walked home one freezing day, I stumbled on a wallet someone had lost in the street.
I picked it up and looked inside to find some identification so I could call the owner. But the wallet contained only three dollars and a crumpled letter that looked as if it had been in there for years.
The envelope was worn and the only thing that was legible on it was the
return address. I started to open the letter, hoping to find some clue. Then
I saw the dateline–1924. The letter had been written almost sixty years ago.
It was written in a beautiful feminine handwriting on powder blue
stationery with a little flower in the left-hand corner. It was a “Dear John”
letter that told the recipient, whose name appeared to be Michael, that the
writer could not see him any more because her mother forbade it. Even so, she
wrote that she would always love him.
It was signed, Hannah.
It was a beautiful letter, but there was no way except for the name
Michael, that the owner could be identified. Maybe if I called information,
the operator could find a phone listing for the address on the envelope.
“Operator,” I began, “this is an unusual request. I’m trying to find the
owner of a wallet that I found. Is there anyway you can tell me if there is a
phone number for an address that was on an envelope in the wallet?”
She suggested I speak with her supervisor, who hesitated for a moment then said, “Well, there is a phone listing at that address, but I can’t give you
the number.” She said, as a courtesy, she would call that number, explain my
story and would ask them if they wanted her to connect me. I waited a few
minutes and then she was back on the line. “I have a party who will speak
with you.”
I asked the woman on the other end of the line if she knew anyone by the
name of Hannah. She gasped, “Oh! We bought this house from a family who had a daughter named Hannah. But that was 30 years ago!”
“Would you know where that family could be located now?” I asked.
“I remember that Hannah had to place her mother in a nursing home some
years ago,” the woman said. “Maybe if you got in touch with them they might be able to track down the daughter.”
She gave me the name of the nursing home and I called the number. They told me the old lady had passed away some years ago but they did have a phone number for where they thought the daughter might be living.
I thanked them and phoned. The woman who answered explained that Hannah herself was now living in a nursing home.
This whole thing was stupid, I thought to myself. Why was I making such a
big deal over finding the owner of a wallet that had only three dollars and a
letter that was almost 60 years old?
Nevertheless, I called the nursing home in which Hannah was supposed to be living and the man who answered the phone told me, “Yes, Hannah is staying with us. ”
Even though it was already 10 p.m., I asked if I could come by to see her.
“Well,” he said hesitatingly, “if you want to take a chance, she might be in
the day room watching television.”
I thanked him and drove over to the nursing home. The night nurse and a
guard greeted me at the door. We went up to the third floor of the large
building. In the day room, the nurse introduced me to Hannah.
She was a sweet, silver-haired old timer with a warm smile and a twinkle in
her eye.
I told her about finding the wallet and showed her the letter. The second
she saw the powder blue envelope with that little flower on the left, she took
a deep breath and said, “Young man, this letter was the last contact I ever
had with Michael.”
She looked away for a moment deep in thought and then said Softly, “I loved
him very much. But I was only 16 at the time and my mother felt I was too
young. Oh, he was so handsome. He looked like Sean Connery, the actor.”
“Yes,” she continued. “Michael Goldstein was a wonderful person. If you
should find him, tell him I think of him often. And,” she hesitated for a
moment, almost biting her lip, “tell him I still love him. You know,” she said
smiling as tears began to well up in her eyes, “I never did marry. I guess no
one ever matched up to Michael…”
I thanked Hannah and said goodbye. I took the elevator to the first floor
and as I stood by the door, the guard there asked, “Was the old lady able to
help you?”
I told him she had given me a lead. “At least I have a last name. But I
think I’ll let it go for a while. I spent almost the whole day trying to find
the owner of this wallet.”
I had taken out the wallet, which was a simple brown leather case with red
lacing on the side. When the guard saw it, he said, “Hey, wait a minute!
That’s Mr. Goldstein’s wallet. I’d know it anywhere with that bright red
lacing. He’s always losing that wallet. I must have found it in the halls at
least three times.”
“Who’s Mr. Goldstein?” I asked as my hand began to shake.
“He’s one of the old timers on the 8th floor. That’s Mike Goldstein’s
wallet for sure. He must have lost it on one of his walks.”
I thanked the guard and quickly ran back to the nurse’s office. I told her
what the guard had said. We went back to the elevator and got on. I prayed
that Mr. Goldstein would be up.
On the eighth floor, the floor nurse said, “I think he’s still in the day
room. He likes to read at night. He’s a darling old man.”
We went to the only room that had any lights on and there was a man reading a book. The nurse went over to him and asked if he had lost his wallet. Mr. Goldstein looked up with surprise, put his hand in his back pocket and said, “Oh, it is missing!”
“This kind gentleman found a wallet and we wondered if it could be yours?”
I handed Mr. Goldstein the wallet and the second he saw it, he smiled with
relief and said, “Yes, that’s it! It must have dropped out of my pocket this
afternoon. I want to give you a reward.”
“No, thank you,” I said. “But I have to tell you something. I read the
letter in the hope of finding out who owned the wallet.”
The smile on his face suddenly disappeared. “You read that letter?”
“Not only did I read it, I think I know where Hannah is.”
He suddenly grew pale. “Hannah? You know where she is? How is she? Is she still as pretty as she was? Please, please tell me,” he begged.
“She’s fine…just as pretty as when you knew her.” I said softly.
The old man smiled with anticipation and asked, “Could you tell me where
she is? I want to call her tomorrow.” He grabbed my hand and said, “You know something, mister, I was so in love with that girl that when that letter came, my life literally ended. I never married. I guess I’ve always loved her. ”
“Mr. Goldstein,” I said, “Come with me.”
We took the elevator down to the third floor. The hallways were darkened
and only one or two little night-lights lit our way to the day room where
Hannah was sitting alone watching the television. The nurse walked over to
her.
“Hannah,” she said softly, pointing to Michael, who was waiting with me in
the doorway. “Do you know this man?”
She adjusted her glasses, looked for a moment, but didn’t say a word.
Michael said softly, almost in a whisper, “Hannah, it’s Michael. Do you
remember me?”
She gasped, “Michael! I don’t believe it! Michael! It’s you! My Michael!”
He walked slowly towards her and they embraced. The nurse and I left with
tears streaming down our faces.
“See,” I said. “See how the Good Lord works! If it’s meant to be, it will
be.”
About three weeks later I got a call at my office from the nursing home.
“Can you break away on Sunday to attend a wedding? Michael and Hannah are going to tie the knot!”
It was a beautiful wedding with all the people at the nursing home dressed
up to join in the celebration. Hannah wore a light beige dress and looked
beautiful. Michael wore a dark blue suit and stood tall. They made me their
best man.
The hospital gave them their own room and if you ever wanted to see a
76-year-old bride and a 79-year-old groom acting like two teenagers, you had
to see this couple.
A perfect ending for a love affair that had lasted nearly 60 years.
So what have you learn from reading this love story? For me, the red wallet story thought me that once you find the love of your life, then don’t let it fall to the ground. It’s never too late to spend the rest of your life with that person even when you have to wait for 60 years.
By Rev. Mary edited by Wildcherry
Divorced Couple Remarried Immediately
by nate on Friday, January 1st, 2010 | Family, Love, Love Story, Relationship | No Comments
A British couple who divorced at leisure repented in haste and decided to remarry almost immediately.
When the final papers came through ending their marriage, Lee and Jan Jones both felt they needed a shoulder to cry on. So they turned to the people they knew best - each other.
Within hours of arranging to meet and discuss the divorce, they decided it had been a terrible mistake.
Lee Jones told the Daily Mail his Christmas Eve marriage to his ex-wife, Jan, was “the best decision we ever made.” The couple decided to tie the knot a second time Nov. 10, the day their decree became absolute, but waited for the ceremony because Christmas Eve would be “romantic.”
The 10 Jones children served as attendants for their wedding at the Southend-on-Sea registry office.
The couple married the first time in 1990 in a traditional church wedding in Southend, where they still live. Lee Jones said money problems after he lost his job as a civil engineer with Thames Water in June put a strain on their marriage. But he said the period of separation was the worst time he has ever had.
The day the divorce became final, Jan Jones called her husband and they ended up getting together for a talk.
“We were sitting at the kitchen table together and I said, ‘But I still love you,’ and he said, ‘I still love you — why are we doing it?’ We decided to give it another go,” she said.
What Women’s Body Language Means To Men
by nate on Friday, December 11th, 2009 | Dating, Friendship, Knowledge, Love, Love Story, Relationship, Tips | No Comments
1. Smiling coyly
2. Catching his eye and holding it for a couple of seconds
3. Fixing your hair or your outfit
4. Brushing his arm
5. Interacting with other people
6. Looking away as you kiss, hug, or greet him
7. Mimicking his movements
8. Folding your arms
9. Making steady eye contact when he’s talking
Budi Soehardi: Finalist of 2010 CNN’s Hero
by nate on Monday, December 7th, 2009 | Family, Health, Indonesia, Love, Love Story, News, World | No Comments
“To help these children is a privilege for me and my wife because it’s giving back to society … giving back what has been blessed to us.”
-Budi Soehardi
They are cheerful-looking and photogenic, but close to all have a very sad story,” said Budi Soehardi, founder of the West Timor orphanage.
Soehardi, a 53-year-old Indonesian pilot living in Singapore, and his wife, Peggy, look after 47 children at the orphanage. They have a personal relationship with each one, and consider them part of their family. The couple named many of the children since they entered the orphanage as babies – some of them tiny victims and refugees from the conflict in East Timor.
Soehardi has three children of his own but says there is no difference between what he supplies for his biological children and those living at the orphanage. They all get clean living spaces, vaccinations, food, clothing and vitamins from the United States.
“Mr. Budi is like my own father,” said Gerson Mangi, 20, a resident at Roslin Orphanage. Mangi, who came to the orphanage when he was 12 years old, had no means to attend school after his parents died. Now, thanks to the educational training at Roslin and a private sponsor, he is in medical school.
Elin Nordegren and Tiger Woods’ Next Step
by nate on Thursday, December 3rd, 2009 | Entertainment, Love Story, News, Relationship, Sports, World | No Comments
“I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.”
-Tiger Wood
This morning, Tiger Woods has said he is sorry, not just for crashing his car early in the morning the Friday after Thanksgiving, but for all of the “intimate details of [their] personal lives.” Since he’s asking for “the right to some simple, human measure of privacy”, the 33-year-old golfer with the wholesome image did not reveal details of several rumored affairs.
Jaimee Grubbs, a cocktail waitress who says she’s had an on-and-off again affair with Woods for three years, shared sexual text messages he sent to her. The woman who formerly appeared on the VH1 show “Tool Academy” is now also revealing a message she says is from Woods asking her to take her name off of her voicemail because his wife was going through his phone.
Rachel Uchitel, another woman said to be involved with Woods, has denied the affair. Other sources connect Uchitel not only to Woods but to Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter. Uchitel says that feeling overwhelmed by the press led her to secure legal representation by attorney Gloria Allred.
While the audience is waiting for more information to surface from Woods and the women he may have been involved with, I’d like to turn my attention Elin Nordegren, Tiger’s wife and mother of their 2-year-old daughter Sam and 9-month-old son Charlie.
Immediately following the accident, Woods praised his wife’s actions, saying, “The only person responsible for the accident is me. My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. Any other assertion is absolutely false.”
Covina: Spirit of Giving
by nate on Thursday, November 26th, 2009 | Family, Friendship, Inspiration, Love, Love Story, News, World | No Comments
Area volunteers help serve free Thanksgiving Day meals to needy people at Avolio’s Italian Restaurant on San Bernardino Road in Covina Nov. 26, 2009. The Avolio family sponsors the annual event. (SGVN/Staff photo by Leo Jarzomb)
The spirit of giving has never been greater at Avolio’s Italian Restaurant than it was this Thanksgiving.
Patrons donated bags full of groceries and a freezer full of turkeys in the days leading up to the business’ annual Thanksgiving dinner giveaway, said Pietro Avolio, the restaurant’s owner.
“This is the first year we didn’t have to buy anything out-of-pocket, because everything was donated,” Avolio said. “They saw our sign, asked what we needed, and brought it.”
The need for those donations has never been greater, as more people than ever came out to eat Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, Avolio said.
“The first year, about 100 people came out,” Avolio said. “Last year about 200 people came out, and this year we served close to 300 people.”
Monica Rangel, of Baldwin Park, brought her 14-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter to the feast, after she lost her her job at Ready Pac Produce in Irwindale, she said.
“I got laid off about two months ago and it’s hard right now,” Rangel said. “I really appreciate it.”
What Is Your Guy Really Saying when He Says “I’ll Call You”?
by nate on Monday, November 9th, 2009 | Dating, Family, Love, Love Story, Relationship, Tips | No Comments
Ladies, it’s time to translate a few “man-phrases” for you. Like, what a man means when he says, “I’ll call you.” The translations come from Steve Santagati, a relationship expert from “The Today Show”:
- Okay, so when a guy says, “I’ll call you” – what he means is “I may call you.” Santagati says a man will definitely ask for your phone number if he likes you, but he could also just be looking for quick way to end the conversation. So, don’t count on getting a call.
- If a man says, “I’ve been busy lately,” it could mean two things. Santagati says, if you’ve been dating less than six months, it means, “I’ve lost interest in you.” If you’ve been dating longer, it means, “I like you, but I also need to focus on other things.” Bottom line: You may be a big part of his life – but he’s also got a job, friends and family, too.
- When a guy says, “I need some space,” what does he mean? “This relationship is moving too fast.” It could also mean: “It’s over.” Santagati recommends asking if he still wants to date you. If he says “yes,” turn back the clock to early courtship behavior where he calls to ask you out on dates. Also, spend time with your friends, take classes, and pursue your own interests. That way, you’re not so dependent on him.
- When a man says, “I love spending time with you.” He actually means, “I love you – I think.” Santagati says that just saying the word “love” may be his ways of dipping his toe in the “I love you” waters to see how it feels. So, don’t make a big deal out of it.
- Finally, when a guy says, “I want this to last forever” he means, “I’m really happy right now.” Santagati says that if you’re wondering if your relationship has a future, a man’s behavior is more important than his words. For example, is he physically affectionate? Does he remember the things that are important to you? Is he supportive when you need it? If you can answer “yes” to all those questions, your relationship is doing just fine.
Unusual Marriage… such a True Love
by nate on Monday, October 19th, 2009 | Friendship, Love, Love Poems, Love Story, Relationship | 6 Comments
I received this on my email, I can’t validate its honesty of the story, but what I am about to share is that I’m amazed of what the couple did…
The girl in the picture is Katie Kirkpatrick, she is 21 . Next to her, her fiance, Nick, 23.
The picture was taken shortly before their wedding ceremony, held on January 11, 2005 in the US .
Katie has terminal cancer and spend hours a day receiving medication.
In the picture, Nick is waiting for her on one of the many sessions of chemo to end.
In spite of all the pain, organ failures, and morphine shots, Katie is going along with her wedding and took care
of every detail. The dress had to be adjusted a few times due to her constant weight loss
An unusual accessory at the party was the oxygen tube that ketie used throughout the ceremony and reception as well.
The other couple in the picture are Nick’s parents. Excited to see her son marrying his high school sweetheart.
Katie, in her wheelchair with the oxygen tube , listening a song from her husband and friends
At the reception, katie had to take a few rests.The pain do not let her to be standing up for long periods
Katie died five days after her wedding day. Watching a women so ill and weak getting married and with a smile on her face makes us think….. Happiness is reachable, no matter how long it last. We should stop making our lives complicated.
Life is short
Break the rules
forgive quickly
kiss passionately, love truly
laugh constantly
And never stop smiling
no matter how strange life is
Life is not always the party we expected to be
but as long as we are here, we should smile and be grateful.
Marriage Myths and Realities
by nate on Saturday, October 17th, 2009 | Dating, Love, Love Story, Relationship | No Comments
I was just from my brother’s wedding about a week ago, and receiving few invitations for the upcoming weddings. These events make me think about the myths of marriages. I went online and browsed some sites, and I might agree on some things I found from About.com, some… are not sure… how about you?
• MYTH: Loneliness Myth that marriage will end your loneliness.
• REALITY: Many married people are still very lonely.
• MYTH: Fulfillment Fallacy which makes you believe that being married makes you complete human beings.
• REALITY: A couple complements one another, not completes one another.
• MYTH: Marriage is for everyone.
• REALITY: There are a lot of unmarried people who are extremely happy.
• MYTH: Monogamy Myth makes you believe that you are the only couple who is dealing with infidelity or that it only happens to bad or weak people.
• REALITY: Infidelity happens to many couples.
• MYTH: Romance will always be alive in a good marriage.
• REALITY: Nearly all relationships experience peaks and valleys. The everyday problems and challenges of married life can often cloud over romantic feelings. This is when making the decision to love is important.
• MYTH: Marriage makes people happy.
• REALITY: You can’t expect your spouse to be your one source of happiness. Your personal happiness must come from within yourself. Marriage can complement your own individual happiness but it can’t be the primary source.
• MYTH: You won’t have major problems if you truly love one another.
• REALITY: A good marriage doesn’t just happen. It takes nurturing, openness, and commitment.
• MYTH: My spouse should know my needs without my saying anything.
• REALITY: Just because you’re married doesn’t mean you can read minds. You have to tell your spouses what your needs are.
• MYTH: Conflict means a lack of love.
• REALITY: Conflict happens in every marriage. Fighting fair and for the relationship, and not just to “win” is healthy in a marriage.
True Love vs. Soulmate-ism
by nate on Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 | Dating, Love, Love Story, Relationship | No Comments
“What is ’soul mates’?” I asked.
“It’s beshert,” she said.
“Be-what?”
“It’s meant to be,” she explained.
Beshert is a Yiddish term that expresses how soul mates are “meant to be together.” Building on my family’s unwavering faith in this beshert thingy — my parents met when they were 17 and my grandparents when they were 16 — I assumed that I, too, would be welcomed into the warm, loving arms of this soul mate phenomenon. I vowed to keep my eyes peeled for my one and only perfect, dream lover — the man who would sweep me off my feet and love me as no one else ever had, my soul mate.
When I was 13, I thought my first boyfriend Jeremy, the guitar-strumming pothead, was my soul mate. “Run away with me and let’s get married, dude,” he pleaded during one of our marathon phone conversations.
“But I don’t have a ride to your place,” I said. When he cheated on me later that month with a girl that lived in his neighborhood, I knew he was NOT “the one.”
When I was 15, I was sure my soul mate was Rob, the artist with the Doc Martens and the Sonic Youth t-shirt.
At 19, I was betting it was John, the intellectual DJ who could quote Foucault and Wu-Tang Clan all in one breath.
By 22, I was fairly certain it was my long-term, live-in boyfriend Jeff, until I unexpectedly met and fell in love with Jason when I was 25. This time I was positive that Jason was “the one.” Jason and I were laying in bed one night and he turned to me clearly panicked and asked, “You seem so sure about us, how do you know it’s meant to be?”
“Beshert,” I said confidently. Two weeks later, he dumped me. OK … screw beshert.
“[The belief that you will] find in a mate the one unique person on the planet who understands your deepest desires and fears, accepts all of who you are unconditionally and who becomes joined to you, making one complete whole in mind, body and soul. The power of this type of relationship is so great that you will know fully and rapidly when you find ‘the one.’ ”
continue here on CNN.com
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