An Anniversary Story

The purpose of my blog is to focus on political issues primarily facing the Lower East Side and then the Metropolitan area. Of course there is the occasional "opinion" I grab and repost here, but for the most part, personal and work-related stories are not things I generally intend to blog about.

Today, though, I was told a story that was so touching, I feel the need to repeat it.

My job partially deals with a particular type of senior care when it comes to residential management. On a daily basis, I speak to a number of senior citizens and answer questions that relate to what I do and try to make their living situations more accomodating in these expesive times. Today, a woman I will call Alice, told me a story that shows us the power of love.

Alice, who is a pretty good looking mid-70 year old, first stepped into the picture back in the Fall of 2004. She and her husband, Harold, have been having tough times financially and when she learned of the Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption Program, she came in to apply.

Harold has been sick. He had spent many months in the hospital and it wasn't looking pretty good for him. Alice, who doesn't have a High School diploma, had to get a part-time job to help out after Harold was layed off from work and through tough times, they had to sell many personal possessions to cover expenses. When Harold got sick, it made matters worse.

Now, with both of them out of work and only collecting social security, Alice heard about SCRIE and wisely chose to get her rent frozen, so she could help pay hospital bills and monthly expenses without worrying about rent chipping at their income.

In January 2005, Alice and Harold were approved for the SCRIE Program and they were very grateful for all my help and assistance.

In September 2005, Harold passed away, just before their 50th Wedding Anniversary. Alice informed me of her husband's passing, a man I never met, and I explained what she needs to do with renewal leases and when her SCRIE comes up for renewal in the summer of 2006.

Today, Alice came in asking for me to assist her in an appeal to get her SCRIE determination reduced. She may or may not get it, but because her social security benefits was decreasing by almost $400, she is hoping to get a reduction in her SCRIE benefits, because the new amount would return her to some hard times.

When we sat down to go over her appeal, she was her usual nervous self with mixed emotions of sadness and gratefullness. Suddenly, she brightened up and she sticks out her hand and shows me this nice wedding band on her ring finger.

"Harold got me this for our 50th Anniversary," she tells me. Almost in tears, she adds, "I just got it the other day from his nurse at the hospital. It's only $36, but it's from Harold."

The story:
While in the hospital, he noticed his nurse had a similar wedding band on her finger and he asked if she was married. She told him she wasn't and that she got the ring from a catalog. Harold asked her if she could show him the catalog, because he would like to get his wife a new wedding band, because their 50th Anniversary was coming up and she didn't have one. He picked out a ring and the nurse ordered it for him, but it was on back-order and it would take some time before they would be able to deliver it.

Sadly Harold passed away never able to give the ring he purchased his wife for their 50th Wedding Anniversary.

A couple weeks ago, a package came in to the hospital and the nurse who ordered it realized that it was the ring her patient had ordered for his wife months before. She found Alice's phone number and gave her a call to let her know of the gift her husband purchased only briefly before he passed away.

Alice now wears the ring with love and memories of a man she dearly misses. It may not be worth a lot in money, but it is worth more than anything to her right now. I told her she was fortunate to have someone who loved her so much and that she was able to have all those year's together. Some people never get what she had.