Just wanted to blog about my experience with a lovely woman named Roberta. Roberta is the security guard at my brother Dan's apartment complex. My brother has been bedridden for the past few months so I am visiting him at least once a day, usually twice. When I first noticed Roberta (or should I say when she first noticed me) it was not under the best circumstances. You see, there had been several break ins to cars around the complex and Roberta was on the hunt to find the perps. I was standing at the gate waiting for my brother to "beep me in" when she approached me and grilled me with a hundred questions. When I finally explained to her that I was there to take care of my brother who is handicapped, she changed from a gruff surly guard to a soft sweet Teddy bear. Turns out that she loves my brother and she had missed seeing him around the complex. She said that whenever he is out wheeling around the complex that he is "always smiling and spreading sunshine." Yep, that would be my brother alright! She opened the gate for me and told me that she would make it a priority to walk past my brother's apartment at least once every hour, every day. I was so touched.
Since that day Roberta and I have become fast friends. We've exchanged phone numbers and she waits for me every day to get a hug and an update on my brother. I am thrilled to say that Dan will be retuning to work next week! It has been a long boring summer for him and as usual, he has handled it with dignity and grace. Recently when I remarked to Roberta how happy I am that we became friends, she almost started to cry. She said that she doesn't have any friends because everyone thinks she's too mean. Why is it that we tend to latch on to the negative things people say about us and hold them as truth? I guess like Julia Robert's character in Pretty Woman says "because the bad stuff is easier to believe."
Yesterday I took several bags of shoes and clothes and costume jewelry to the resale shop near my loft. Unfortunately, they were at capacity and were not accepting donations. As I lugged everything back to my car it hit me. I knew just the person to give my stuff to. I pulled up to where Roberta parks her car and there she was. It was overcast and rainy and she was trying to keep warm. I told her to make room in her trunk because I had a surprise for her. As I filled her trunk with all of my old stuff she jumped and squealed with delight like a kid on Christmas. Then she got very quiet and with her head down asked why I would be so nice to her? I told her that she was one of the nicest people I'd met in a very long time and that I appreciated her and wanted to make her happy. She raised her eyes up, big as saucers and all she could say was "REALLY, me?"
This morning I arrived to Roberta sporting a pair of my boots and some of my jewelry, and the change in her was immediately noticeable. She said that she felt "pretty and elegant" and that it was going to be a great day. She also said something that really made an impression on me. She said "you know I think God blessed me with all of this so I would wake up and realize that I'm not such a bad person after all." She said that some of the clothes didn't fit her but if it was ok with me, she was going to surprise a friend of hers like I did to her. She said "she's having a rough time & I want her to know that it gets better."
In the end, I think it's people like Roberta that make us better people and I'm so very honored to call her my friend. Today, at least give a stranger one of your smiles. It might be the only sunshine they see all day.
Always remember to BELIEVE~
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