Wanda was 90 years old and felt very lonely and alone. Many elderly people feel this way because they have lost their friends and may not have family to care for them.
Wanda knew she desperately needed to talk to other people, so she took matters into her own hands. She wrote a note and put it on the door of Marleen Brooks, one of her neighbors in San Francisco, California.
Wanda’s note was a simple but sincere request.
On the note, it said, “Would you think about becoming my friend. I’m 90, and I live by myself. All of my old friends have died. I’m so scared and lonely. Please let me pray for someone.”
The next night, Marleen went to Wanda’s house with a friend to meet her. She brought cupcakes with her.
After that, Marleen wrote to KTVU News reporter Frank Somerville to tell him what had happened.
“Frank!
She is such a nice person!
And she was so happy when we showed up.
Wanda said, “I hope you didn’t think it was stupid of me to write you, but I had to do something.
We really appreciate you coming over.
I’ve lived here for 50 years and don’t know any of my neighbors.’
Wanda has three sons, but one of them died of cancer last year.
Two of them live a long way away.
She is 90 years old and on oxygen. Among other things, she has congestive heart failure and osteoporosis.
We brought her cupcakes because we didn’t have enough time to make banana bread because of work.
I also made sure she knew she could call us whenever she wanted and that I’d be back to see her.
Wanda and I will probably have a lot of fun.”
Wanda’s letter has been shared by a lot of people on Facebook since she told her story.
“This story is great,” Frank wrote back. “I’m so glad for Wanda. But, as I said in my first post, Wanda is not the only lonely person out there. I’d like to suggest that you knock on their door and say hello. I know how much it would mean to them. And who knows, you might meet someone new.”
This is a great piece of advice. Also, think about helping out at a senior center or senior living facility in your area. There are lots of ways to reach out and help.
Marleen also said that she told her story to show that there are many lonely people in the world. Especially people who are old.” She also said, “If you know someone like that in your neighborhood, you might want to stop by and say hello. You could also bring them some cookies. I can promise you that you’ll make their day. But at the same time, you might meet someone new. “Wouldn’t that be great?”
It warms my heart to see people like Marleen go out of their way to be Wanda’s friend and spend time with her. If you agree, share.