BRANDON, MS (Mississippi News Now) – Sometimes the simplest thing can mean a lot to someone else. And sometimes all it takes is being a good listener to pick up on what something simple like that may be.
Susanne Boone lives in Mississippi now, but as a teenager, she lived in Berlin, Germany, at the height of World War II. I’ve never thought of children living there in the war, just soldiers, and Hitler.
She says one of her most vivid memories was still having to attend school every day, unless your house was bombed. Then you got the day off.
Susanne married a soldier from Mississippi and lived her adult life here. She’s is in a nursing home now and received a special gift from a nephew back in Germany the other day; a book of photos of places she would have known as a child and pictures of what those same places look like now.
She wanted to write a thank you note. The problem is her eyesight has grown so dim she can’t see to write.
“Well, I cannot write him,” said Susanne. “I cannot see to get it in German.
Oh yea, that’s the other part. The part that keeps her from just getting anybody to sit down and write the note for her. It has to be in German.
She offhandedly mentioned to a volunteer with an organization known as the Nursing Home Ministry who was visiting her about her gift and her desire to write a thank you note and problems she faced, and an idea was born.
“Martha Teal contacted brother Billy and he put it on Facebook and sent it out to the prayer partners for the Nursing Home Ministry,” said Nursing Home Ministry volunteer Brenda Cole.
“And a real sweet little lady and I don’t have permission to use her name so I won’t use it, but, came on and said I know a lady that speaks German and writes German,” said Nursing Home Ministry Director Billy Thomas.
Long story short, because of an attentive ear, and social media and some anonymous folks who didn’t mind giving up a little of their time to help, the thank you note has been written.
Now, all this may sound like a very simple thing. But it is a simple thing that made a big difference to a special lady who grew up in a difficult time in an impossible place.
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