Old Friends and New Friends

Buen dia mis amigos! (Good day my friends!) How are you all? All is swell with me. I haven't been on any wild adventures lately, I've just been catching up with friends and school work. I met my cousin for dinner tonight in the East Bay and it was fabulous.

Earlier today, I made another new friend. She is a 93 year old Salvadorian woman who is so sweet! As I mentioned in a previous blog--I volunteer here in San Franny and one of the organizations I volunteer for is Little Brothers: Friends of the Elderly. I was an avid volunteer and I would visit elderly people (usually in their 90's) who have been abandoned by their families and I would have lunch and great conversation with them. Today was my first day returning after a few months. Why you ask?

It was a rainy day and I was to deliver fresh food and dessert--along with roses to a lovely Italian woman. She was 94! Her name was Rose and we immediately bonded. During our first meeting, she started crying and said she was tired of being so old and helpless and there was no one to help her out. I didn't shed tears but I cried on the inside. I had to stay strong to let her know I was going to change everything. She told me her life story...I won't go into detail about it but she was a two time divorcee with no children and she had wished she went to school instead of getting married at age 16. She gave me lots of advice and even thought I'd make a good real estate agent (I'm not sure why but okay). So I would visit her once or twice a week. One day I surprised her with her favorite pizza that she had not had in years since she could not leave on her own. She was so ecstatic and told me that no one has ever gone out of their way to bring her something she loved--especially in the pouring rain. I didn't want praise, I just did it because she was my friend and I want to make all my friends happy and feel nice. So a few weeks passed and she became like a grandmother to me. One day, I was on my way to see a Giants game and I wanted to stop by and say hello to her. I called her phone and no answer. I was able to get into the building but there was no answer when I knocked the door.

Right away I knew something was wrong. My heart sank. The building manager saw me and told me that Rose had suffered two heart attacks and was in intensive care. I went to the hospital to look for her but they told me she had been sent to a specialty home. So I was off in a whim to go find her. I was so deep in thought that I almost got ran over on my way there! I walked in and finally had found her...she was in terrible condition. I sat next to her and comforted her. I stayed until it was time to go and I returned every day after until one day she wasn't there anymore and I got scared again...and turns out she had been sent back to the public hospital because she could not afford the specialized one. I wished with all my heart that I had the money to help, but I didn't.

This time around, she was in the intensive care unit in the hospital and I was required to suit up in the scrubs and stuff when I was with her. She had developed a serious stomach infection that was not allowing her to eat. All she ate was cold ice. I was there everyday and I just wanted to let her know I cared. I didn't have money or anything else to offer but I had my friendship. She said to me at one point that it was time for her to go. I didn't know what to say so I said, "Well some people live to be a 100." She laughed and said she had lived enough. She said to me..."There needs to be more people like you in the world." I held in my tears but you know what...there needs to more people like her--who share life experience and friendship with a kid like me. I came back the next day to find one of her nurses waiting for me....she hugged me and told me that Rose had passed away...I didn't know what to do and I cried. Never in my life have I ever experienced someone close dying. My grandparents are pretty young--in their 60's.

I sat there in silence until I walked to the windows in the hall way. The hospital had a great view of San Francisco....so I just starred out the window into the sunset. I wasn't sad for that long but rather peaceful. I knew my friend was safe and I loved her. The next few days I wandered around San Franny--especially Golden Gate Park (little did I know I would meet someone special there a few months later) and just watched people and observed the beauty of nature. Life is precious. Especially when someone teaches you and that knowledge be with you for the rest of your life. Good night my habibis. Stay beautiful because someone out there loves you. Remember, I love the world.