02.16.06
Posted in Uncategorized on February 16th, 2006 at 4:34 pm by Dee O'Neil Andrews
by Dee Andrews
In my first post of this year over at “
Finding Direction” in
Words, Pictures, Passages & Prayers, I said that my one word for this year would be “
OPTIMISTIC.” I’ve done pretty well with that word so far (
I think), although (and I don’t know if any of you noticed it or not) back on Tuesday morning of this week I was pretty down in the dumps and totally glum after my latest doctor’s appointment on Monday afternoon about my broken foot.
But thanks to some wonderful, thoughtful, secret Valentine’s ladies of
Tammany Oaks, whoever they are, my spirits picked up tremendously and were revived.
The Valentine ladies left a gift bag full of Valentine’s Day goodies on my front door step Tuesday. I have no idea who they are and our minister, Tod, won’t tell me, either, even though I tried my best Wednesday morning on the phone with him to sneak certain tidbits of information out of him about who they are, etc.
He laughed and refused to answer even any of my itsy bitsy questions about the whole deal saying that I forgot he knows all about us attorney types since he is married to an attorney (Candice, who is terrific).
Thus he wouldn’t divulge a thing, figuring I’d soon have enough information to piece the whole thing together. Which is true, but still . . .
I discovered the bag when I opened the front door about 2:30 p.m. to scoot out to get the mail. Here was this big gift bag sitting at the top of the temporary ramp Tom has put out there for me just inviting me to peek inside to see what on earth it was and to try to figure out who on earth it came from. I was totally and completely puzzled.
As I opened gift after gift after gift (most were wrapped up inside the bigger bag), I found more and more great treasures, including a bright red leather photo album to carry around in a purse, perhaps, a little tin of red and pink tacks for a bulletin board, a red votive candle, pair of Valentine socks (and I’m wearing socks most days now with my foot), a CD of love songs, two small Valentine ornaments, a pink puppy - on and on.
I was amazed and confused. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out who this was from or how it got on my front porch. It didn’t quite seem like the thing Tom would do.
I kept digging until I had everything out on my lap, but still saw no card or anything. Then I checked the little tag on the bag. Nope. I twirled the bag around and then saw a small envelope taped to the side addressed to “Dee,” but I didn’t recognize the handwriting.
Inside was a big heart. On the back it read “You are loved by Tammany Oaks Church of Christ Valentines ladies! Happy Valentine’s Day.”I was stunned. Someone went to all this trouble to go pick out and buy all the wonderful gifts, to wrap them all, to put them all in the gift bag and then to drive over to my house from Mandeville - some 25 miles, 30 minutes away - to drop it off on my doorstep. Secretly. For my Valentine’s Day. Because I’ve been “home alone” and shut in for so long.
It had to have been someone who knew I was diabetic, too, because they didn’t include any candy in it, which was very thoughtful, indeed.
Before I opened the front door, I admit it. I was sad and depressed. Now I was so overcome by these expressions of love and caring that I had tears in my eyes. These ladies, who all remain a secret to me, cared enough to do all of those things for me on Valentine’s Day, and they are my Grace Notes for this week. Big time.
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