Today on the front page of the paper was this photo that I keep going back to because there’s something so intriguing about it. A young man in waders is standing in water and holding the hand of an elderly, very wrinkled woman who seems to be in a boat and is wiping a tear from her eye.
The caption reads: "Spc. Jon Eric Miletello of the Louisiana National Guard consoles his grandmother, Bell Vaughn, whose home was flooded in Erath, La."
The woman, with her sad eyes and her hair combed straight back, resembles my mom. I cringe to think of my mom ever being flooded out of her house like this.
What a story, captured in this picture: a tired, grieving grandma leaving her home and a fine young grandson doing his duty with compassion and gentleness.
I hope the photographer gets some sort of recognition, and I hope my boys would conduct themselves like this if the situation arose. (And may my girls someday marry the type of guy who would go rescue his grandma in a flood.)
Quote of the Day:
"There were 8 Smuckers that fought in the Civil War; 7 on the Union side and 1 on the Confederate."
--Matt
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ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful photo!! It seems rather sad to me that we don't see more young people doing something nice for our senior citizens. It may not be rescuing someone in a flood, but even just a smile or a kind word can mean so much to our older people. I think it's time to show them the respect they so deserve.
ReplyDeleteDorcas, so is Smucker not a Mennonite name from way back?
ReplyDeleteSheryl--I don't know. I was rather surprised myself at the stats for Smuckers in the Civil War. I've never come across any Smuckers that didn't have Mennonite roots.
ReplyDeleteI don't know much history except that the original immigrants were named Schmucker, but some of them morphed into Smuckers and Smokers.
And yes, Paul is distantly related to the jelly Smuckers.
Interesting story and I hope all goes well for the lady and her grandson. I hope too the there have been more such episodes that haven't been reported. We usually only hear the horror stories.
ReplyDeleteI found Matt's statistics on Smuckers interesting too. I wonder how many did not fight on either side. Of my family, dad's and mom's, I think that most fought for the side of Southern Independence. For the readers, I am a first generation Mennonite, and I hope that my grand children, 2 so far, will continue the trend. Two of my three children have so chosen, and I am still praying for the other one.
I was just about to say something about being thankful that at least the Smuckers chose the right side, until I saw that truthseeker (Mr. Confederacy, himself) had posted something. *grin* (This was all before I read his comment.)
ReplyDeleteThank you for writing such sweet words about my grandmother and I. She was truly the sweetest lady I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. God works in mysterious ways and she was the reason I was led to serve in the military. Ultimately to save her life. She passed away this past December. I just wanted to say thank you!
ReplyDeleteJon-Erik Miletello
jonerikmiletello@yahoo.com
Thank you for writing such sweet words about my grandmother and I. She was truly the sweetest lady I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. God works in mysterious ways and she was the reason I was led to serve in the military. Ultimately to save her life. She passed away this past December. I just wanted to say thank you!
ReplyDeleteJon-Erik Miletello
jonerikmiletello@yahoo.com