10.16.06
A Pretty Green Dress
by Greg EnglandI was headed toward Best Buy on Sunday afternoon but first ran by the
Credit Union to deposit a check into my daughter’s account. As I was
walking away from the night deposit, she was walking toward me. Just
the two of us. I first noticed her very pretty and sharp outfit. Shades
of green. Nice skirt. White blouse. Dressy coat. Scarf that pulled
everything together. I don’t know if she’d been "to church" that
morning, but she looked like she had. And she looked like someone who
would "go to church" on a Sunday.
As we crossed paths, she never even glanced my way but I noticed her face. Well weathered. Years of wisdom. Grandmother written all over it. I wanted to say something about how pretty she looked in her outfit, but she never so much as glanced up. I’m learning as I approach her age it’s better to watch where your feet are than anything much further ahead, so I didn’t distract her careful pace. I walked on to my car and she walked on the ATM machines.
I decided I really did want to say something to her about her dress, so I timed my exit from the parking lot (allowing two other cars to go ahead of me) so that she would cross in front of my car. As she did, I rolled down the window and said, "Excuse me, Ma’am, but has anyone told you how pretty you look in that dress today?" She looked up at me, somewhat cautious, and said, "Why, no, they haven’t." I said, "Well, someone should have, because you look really pretty today."
Her face exploded into a smile. I drove on … just wanted to say that to her for some reason. It sure made my day to see her smile. Next time she dresses in her "Sunday best," I hope there is someone in her life to tell her just how pretty she looks.
Donna said,
October 16, 2006 at 8:13 pm
Thank you Greg for taking time to make someone’s day. You probably have no ideal how much you meant to her.Dee O'Neil Andrews said,
October 17, 2006 at 9:31 am
I’m so glad you did that, Greg. I’d be happy the rest of the day if a complete stranger stopped me to tell me that!
My mom who is nearly 85 dresses up every Sunday to "go to church" a always looks beautiful to me. She is slender and straight and weighs what she did when she married my dad some 63 years ago (alas for her, he’s been gone now for 10 years).
Most often she wears suits of some kind with matching shoes and a contrasting blouse and always - always - a scarf of some kind that ties it all together and she does, indeed, look great. Your story of the lady makes me think so much of my mom and how she would be if someone told her that one Sunday.
Thanks for your Grace Notes story, Greg. You are the Grace Note in this one, friend, and we say "Good for you!"
Out Here Hope Remains said,
October 19, 2006 at 12:28 am
[…] Greg England tells us how to make someone’s day. […]