The Old Woman
It was bitter cold when she walked to her friend's house a quarter mile away, so she walked backwards, a trick her daddy taught her. As she braced herself against the strong, wet wind, she thought about the woman they would soon be visiting.
The lady's name was Mrs. Garron and she had never met her. She was going there with her friend, Ellen. Ellen's family wasn't rich either but her daddy was a mechanic and they had a car. Heather liked to go places with them but not very far, as she tended to get car sick. She was used to a horse and buggy or her bicycle.
So on this winter day, Ellen's mother packed a basket full of freshly fried cake dough-nuts and carried her Bible on the short drive to visit Mrs. Garron. When they arrived, the girls stayed outside the small ocean-side home to slide down a hill and make a snowman.
In a short time, they were tired and wet and entered the back porch to remove their rubber boots, wet mittens and heavy jackets. They opened the door into a warm, bright kitchen where a wood stove gave off much warmth.
"Come in, girls?" they heard a woman say. Ellen rushed to hug her and say hello while Heather shyly stood by the old piano. Ellen's mother was tidying up the living room from where someone had recently left some books and things thrown around. She said she didn't want anyone tripping over them.
After some conversation about the weather and the latest gossip, Ellen's mother went into the kitchen to make some hot tea and asked Ellen to help her.
The old lady sat with a blanket over her lap and stared in Heather's direction. "What is your name, child?"
"Heather" she replied.
"Heather, can you read?"
"Yes", she said, shyly.
"Would you mind opening the Bible that Mrs. Roberts brought today to Luke? Could you perhaps read some of the Christmas story from there?"
Heather found the chapter and started to read when the old woman said "Closer, child. I can't hear you very well from so far away. I don't bite." And she smiled while she made room on the settee for Heather.
A few moments passed while she listened to the small girl's voice reading aloud to her. "Thank you, Heather. Please stay; I want to "see" what you look like? Are you Ellen's age?"
"Yes, I'm 8, almost 9."
The woman suddenly placed her old, wrinkled but soft hands on each side of her face and tenderly felt Heather's cheek bones and nose. She said "You know I'm blind, don't you?"
Heather was startled as she had no idea Mrs. Garron couldn't see.
"I've been without my sight all of my adult life. When I was a child myself, I had scarlet fever and lost my sight completely."
"I want to tell you something. I don't need eyes to see how beautiful you are; a lovely young lady. Thank you for reading to me today and I hope you'll come back again."
That night, Heather found a small mirror in her big sister's room and when no-one was looking, she studied her reflection. All she saw was a toothless smile and brown eyes with a freckled face. But the old woman's words echoed in her ears "you are beautiful."
That was the very first time anyone had even commented on her appearance; she was overjoyed and when she said her prayers that night, she asked God to bring new eyes to Mrs. Garron. Then she wrote a note to Santa on Christmas Eve for the same thing.
Mrs. Garron died a few years later and though her parents would not let her attend the funeral, Heather saw her grave one day while visiting the Cemetery and remembered........and felt blessed to have known her. She saw wild flowers growing on her grave and smiled. They were only dandylions but oh, were they ever "beautiful".
It was bitter cold when she walked to her friend's house a quarter mile away, so she walked backwards, a trick her daddy taught her. As she braced herself against the strong, wet wind, she thought about the woman they would soon be visiting.
The lady's name was Mrs. Garron and she had never met her. She was going there with her friend, Ellen. Ellen's family wasn't rich either but her daddy was a mechanic and they had a car. Heather liked to go places with them but not very far, as she tended to get car sick. She was used to a horse and buggy or her bicycle.
So on this winter day, Ellen's mother packed a basket full of freshly fried cake dough-nuts and carried her Bible on the short drive to visit Mrs. Garron. When they arrived, the girls stayed outside the small ocean-side home to slide down a hill and make a snowman.
In a short time, they were tired and wet and entered the back porch to remove their rubber boots, wet mittens and heavy jackets. They opened the door into a warm, bright kitchen where a wood stove gave off much warmth.
"Come in, girls?" they heard a woman say. Ellen rushed to hug her and say hello while Heather shyly stood by the old piano. Ellen's mother was tidying up the living room from where someone had recently left some books and things thrown around. She said she didn't want anyone tripping over them.
After some conversation about the weather and the latest gossip, Ellen's mother went into the kitchen to make some hot tea and asked Ellen to help her.
The old lady sat with a blanket over her lap and stared in Heather's direction. "What is your name, child?"
"Heather" she replied.
"Heather, can you read?"
"Yes", she said, shyly.
"Would you mind opening the Bible that Mrs. Roberts brought today to Luke? Could you perhaps read some of the Christmas story from there?"
Heather found the chapter and started to read when the old woman said "Closer, child. I can't hear you very well from so far away. I don't bite." And she smiled while she made room on the settee for Heather.
A few moments passed while she listened to the small girl's voice reading aloud to her. "Thank you, Heather. Please stay; I want to "see" what you look like? Are you Ellen's age?"
"Yes, I'm 8, almost 9."
The woman suddenly placed her old, wrinkled but soft hands on each side of her face and tenderly felt Heather's cheek bones and nose. She said "You know I'm blind, don't you?"
Heather was startled as she had no idea Mrs. Garron couldn't see.
"I've been without my sight all of my adult life. When I was a child myself, I had scarlet fever and lost my sight completely."
"I want to tell you something. I don't need eyes to see how beautiful you are; a lovely young lady. Thank you for reading to me today and I hope you'll come back again."
That night, Heather found a small mirror in her big sister's room and when no-one was looking, she studied her reflection. All she saw was a toothless smile and brown eyes with a freckled face. But the old woman's words echoed in her ears "you are beautiful."
That was the very first time anyone had even commented on her appearance; she was overjoyed and when she said her prayers that night, she asked God to bring new eyes to Mrs. Garron. Then she wrote a note to Santa on Christmas Eve for the same thing.
Mrs. Garron died a few years later and though her parents would not let her attend the funeral, Heather saw her grave one day while visiting the Cemetery and remembered........and felt blessed to have known her. She saw wild flowers growing on her grave and smiled. They were only dandylions but oh, were they ever "beautiful".
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