This is a heartwarming story in 2015. This story was also submitted to Love What Matters by Aldon O’neill Ward, and originally appeared on his Facebook.
One day in 2015, Aldon was just spending another normal day, watering his front door when a neighbor was walking by. Aldon greeted the neighbor and asked her about her partner. He was sh0cked when hearing the woman’s response. His action after that has been melting thousands of heart.
Aldon O’Neill Ward III is the Mr. Rogers of his neighborhood. He’s the kind of neighbor everyone hopes to have. As people in the neighborhood walk past his yard, they usually leave with a big smile.
Aldon had noticed an elderly couple who went out walking together every morning and evening for years. The couple wore matching windbreaker outfits with white walking shoes, and each had a walking stick. Even if it was raining, they were always happy and in a good mood. The two waved at Aldon and blew kisses at Aldon’s dogs as they passed, he wrote in a Facebook post.
Although Aldon didn’t know their names, he did know which house they lived in, and they clearly knew where he lived with his dogs. The couple sometimes would stop to chat briefly before continuing with their promenade.
And then, one day, Aldon was outside with his standard poodle, Griswold. Aldon had just laid down some fresh sod in his yard and was watering it when he noticed one member of the couple, alone, was walking down the street. Aldon waved, and she waved back, and then he asked, jokingly, “Where’s the better half?”
The elderly woman looked at him and said in a trembling voice while crying:
“I don’t have him anymore.”
Immediately, Aldon dropped everything then rushed out into the street. He invited the woman and gave her a bear-hug like she was his own grandma. The woman sobbed against his chest for a few minutes.
She softly said to Adon that she was trying to continue on with her life the way it was before, and then set off, determined to finish her walk, alone.
