Looking Beyond the Surface

Hello Super-Stars! I hope you are all well. This week marks the one-year anniversary of the passing of my father, whom I had the extraordinary pleasure of living with and caring for in his last year of life. He was an incredible person...a gentleman's gentleman...a kind man whose love of life, and especially golf (his true passion), were the cornerstones of his principles, which had been passed down through the generations of our family. He always saw the bright side of what otherwise might have been a difficult situation. He was very well liked and my neighbors still offer their memories of his kindness. His sense of humor was enhanced by a quick wit and a memory for details that was amazing to witness. I am glad to have become his friend and he mine.

My father once told me a story about his grandmother, who was taking the Trolley into Glasgow, Scotland to do her shopping and, to pick-up all of her parasols which were at the repair shop for minor repairs. Now, this was back in the late 1800's when women had parasols to match every outfit they owned. Well, as luck would have it, it was a rainy day, not an unusual occurrence in that part of the world, but she didn't have a parasol because they were all being repaired. So, when the Trolley came to her stop she accidentally picked-up the parasol of the woman sitting next to her, out of habit, and started to disembark. The woman stopped her and said, "that's my parasol Missy." To say the least, my great-grandmother was mortified at her error and immediately offered her apology, returned the parasol and got off the Trolley; red-faced and embarrassed beyond belief. Of course, she did her errands and picked-up the dozen or so parasols that had been repaired and went back to take the Trolley home. As luck would have it, or not, depending on your sense of humor, she ended up sitting next to the same woman from the morning trip. Upon seeing all of the parasols my great-grandmother had, the woman said to her, "Och, I see you've done a fine job for yourself this day!" Well, it took a little explaining, but the story was straightened out and they both had a good laugh. I too got a good laugh when my father relayed this story!

The moral of the story is not to assume the worst even though the evidence may seem to suggest otherwise. Thankfully, this woman allowed my great-grandmother the opportunity to set the record straight and, in doing so, found the humor in it all and, I understand that they became friends in the process. Assuming any conclusion without first finding out the real story is a disservice to all parties concerned. Remember, go forward with love, act with civility and, in the process, spread peace.

Think - Live - Be - A Super-Star!

With love, light & much appreciation,
Glenna :-)