My neighborhood lost a good man over the weekend. My memories of him will always bring a smile. He was 82 and had this thing about hitting one of my bushes often when he backed out of his driveway. Right across the alley to my bush as if it were a magnet for that car. He always felt so bad about that and one time when he hit it extra hard, came to the door to show me his injuries as if to say "look, it's not just your bush suffering!" I always told him it didn't matter, it was just a bush, but his wife makes the BEST spring rolls EVER so we've been gifted with spring rolls when my bush took the hits. I will never again eat a spring roll without thinking of them or look into their yard without smiling. I fear that his wife will not be remaining on her own. He loved golfing... the back of my house is proof because there's a ding in my siding where he overshot one of his swings... again, it just made me smile, as it did when I saw him puttering around his gardens and mowing his grass. Just the type of person whose smile was infectious.
Sorry to hear that, Mari. My condolences. Hope the wife has family for support. Hopefully that bush will do better now and be a reminder of your wonderful neighbor.
That's a sad news. The way you wrote your post, it looks like you admire the guy. Golf is the trade mark of Filipinos in the US. I know of so many relatives and friends there who are fond of playing golf. By the way, one thing you will notice with my tribe is that they are very industrious and diligent with their job there in the US. There are bums here who would change for the better when they get there. Maybe it is the culture that made them change.
I don't think there's family close-by, @Chrissy Page .. at least not in this state, and much of the family is in the Philippines. They were very active in a local church, so I hope the church family will be helping her to get adjusted and for support.
Many people admired him, @Corie Henson , yes. He was a very kind man. And diligent with the job... absolutely! I hadn't known until now that he held his local job until just a few years ago! So well into his 70s before he retired... well, close to 80 actually.
@Mari North You are a very tolerant, accepting, and loving person! How I wish I could "get to know" some people so benevolent as you! I grew up in one of the least "tolerant" places in the country, Chicago. Intolerant of differing skin color, National mores, Nationality, race, creed, you name it! I would like to think I have forced overthrow of those ingrained feelings over the years, but sometimes feel unsure of myself. I read references made to crimes committed by minorities vs the general population, and recoil from the presented numbers. Unwanted births of children, same thing. Out of wedlock, same thing. Prison population, same thing. If minorities are as beneficent as we are being led to believe daily, explain the above statistics. Frank (the old harbinger of distrust, malingerer, and trouble-maker in general).
@Mari North - enjoyed your post and I can picture that lovely man I get very emotional when I meet someone like that, they are such a rarity, I want to know them and be around them
I am late in finding your story, Mari, but enjoyed reading of your neighbor's life. The world is full of such good people, we just never get to meet them. They are not evenly distributed, I suppose. Thank you.
I just saw your post, Frank. Am I understanding you correctly in saying that Chicago is intolerant.? The Chicago I lived in was quite different. Almost everybody was a different ethnicity. Polish, German, Greek, Indian, Jewish and Quite a few others. I never saw any problems, and I always thought it was great and one of my favorite things about Chicago. The different cultures in the neighborhoods. There was so many different cuisines to try...I loved it And still Love Chicago. Though I've lived other places longer now, my fondest memories are in Chicago. I was there for a few days last year but living there was long ago but I still have some family there.