Bless Her Heart

A few weeks ago, I got a note in the mail from a local charity that said someone had made a contribution in my mother’s name. It listed the amount and the name of the person but I did not know them.

I thought, well, maybe it was one of mom’s Facebook friends. I looked on her page and didn’t see the name, then I searched Facebook and saw a couple people with that name, but from other states. So I called the organization the next day and asked if I could have the person’s address to send them a thank you, they told me they couldn’t do that, but they would contact the person and give them my phone number. A few days went by and a lady called me on the phone. She told me her name and I said, yes, I wanted to thank you for your contribution in mom’s name and then I said, I’m sorry that I don’t recognize your name.

The lady laughed and said, oh I haven’t talked to your mother in over 50 years! Maybe you remember me, we stayed at your house for about 3 weeks back when you were about 8 years old. Your mother worked with my mother and my father kicked us out and my brother and I and our mother and grandmother had nowhere to go. Your mom let us stay at your house and helped get us an apartment and furnish it. A group of woman that worked with your mom and friends from your grandmother’s church and your grandmother restarted our lives. We lived in Evansville for about 10 years after that and my mom got remarried and we moved away.

I know my mother talked to your mother monthly for years. Then she told me, when I was in town a few months ago and I tried to call your mother and the number was unlisted and then someone told me she’d died of Alzheimers. I’m sorry we didn’t donate to Alzheimers, but I think you can understand why I picked the charity I did to donate to. Your mom and grandmother saved my family. I don’t know where we would have gone or what we would have done. We had no car, no money, and my grandmother was 80 at that time.

I told her I did remember and how it’s funny that it was just a one bathroom house, but that didn’t seem to matter. We all got by.

It was great talking to her and I told her thank you, and again she said, and this made me cry, she said, bless her heart…. bless her heart. – Missy ?

Barbara Taylor Vaughan or Barbie as we affectionately called her, was a regular on Ripple’s facebook page along with her daughter Melissa (Missy). One of the things I remember most fondly about my friend Barbie was something she’d often say to people and to me personally many times and this is the reason Missy began to cry when she finished her chat with the lady. I always remember my friend when I hear someone say “bless her heart”.