Tears of Joy, a True Story

As a young woman Lucy had dressed up for work every day putting on her business suit, high heel shoes, and a strand of pearls. But as the years went by, now all of that had changed, and she lived in a small room in an assisted living facility which is now her home. She has a caregiver who wheels her down for her meals, and other activities, as she can no longer stand. She had always loved jewelry because it made her feel pretty, like a bright ribbon on the package. It was a token of her womanhood, but now she was forced to leave all of that behind. Then one day a lady came to her facility with handmade beaded jewelry, and Lucy was wheeled down so she could see all the pretty things. As she noticed the bracelets, she looked longingly at one that reminded her of a similar bracelet she had in her earlier days. Lucy asked the lady “How much is this one please?”, and the lady told her it was only six dollars. Lucy thought for a moment, should she spend the money, but decided that she must have it. She asked the lady if she would stay for just a little longer while she returned to her room to get her money? Lucy said it would not take too long. The lady was tired and was ready to leave, but seeing how much Lucy had admired the bracelet, she packed up her displays and waited, and waited, and waited. Eventually, Lucy was rolled down by her caregiver with a large jar full of coins, and two worn out one dollar bills sitting on her lap. Lucy’s eyes were bright with anticipation. The lady knew that Lucy, like most older folks forced to leave their homes behind still had their pride, and just giving it to her would not be the right thing to do. So she took off the tag and told Lucy “You’re in luck! This was just marked down and is now only two dollars.” Lucy proudly gave her the two one dollar bills and put on the bracelet. Her eyes filled with tears of joy as she thanked the jewelry lady and returned to her room. When the jewelry lady was turning to leave her eyes were filled with tears as well. You see there is not much left when you reach the end of the road, but something as simple as a bracelet can bring joy to two souls.