It was a picture perfect day at Longwood Gardens on Wednesday. The sun was shining from a clear blue sky. The air was warm and held the promise of Spring. The predicted snow by the end of the week seemed only to enhance the day. Couples strolled along the paths, and children played nearby. Their shrieks of laughter sang a duet with the chirping birds and provided joyful background music. It seemed that the earth was coming back to life.
My meanderings led me to the Pierce duPont House where I was volunteering that day. Delicate white flowers were scattered throughout the front lawn of the house causing me to stop and simply breathe it all in.
I entered the building and greeted Suzanne, my partner for the day. We enjoy one another's company,
and surrounded by the beauty of the house's indoor gardens we quietly chatted and caught up with one another's lives.
As visitors drifted into the house we happily talked with them catching brief glimpses of their lives. A woman from India who's heavily lined face spoke of her ancient wisdom. A young couple from Japan who giggled as they posed for a photo in front of the orchids currently displayed in the house. A sprightly woman who is 90 years young and never fails to delight us with her energy and wit. One man who stopped to declare the gardens were an oasis, and another who simply said it was what heaven must look like. All add so much to our days.
In time a woman in a wheelchair entered the building accompanied by her daughter. At that point they were the only visitors in the house. With an elegant shawl wrapped around her and a faux fur throw draped over her lap the woman, Connie, buzzed about in her wheelchair determined to take full advantage of the rooms she was able to explore. Her daughter, Elizabeth, dressed in casual knit pants and a quilted white jacket stayed close to her mother as they chatted about what they saw and learned. Perhaps 30 years old and with her long blonde hair flying behind her Elizabeth was sometimes forced to trot in order to keep up with her mother. Eventually they stopped to talk with Suzanne and me. Oh my goodness, the stories they shared!
Connie spoke of her bout with cancer, explaining that it caused her hips to deteriorate and thus confined her to the wheelchair. She went on to talk about her initial diagnosis. She had not felt well and went to her doctor where they drew her blood and scheduled future tests. She received a phone call the following Saturday. The man who called explained that he was a doctor who rented office space from her regular physician on Saturdays. He gently told her that he had seen her blood test results and advised her to go to the hospital immediately for a blood transfusion. When she asked if it could wait until Monday...she had too much to do that weekend...the doctor replied she would not be around on Monday if she did not have the transfusion immediately. Off to the hospital she went, and while waiting for the transfusion a doctor approached her. He introduced himself as the person she spoke with on the phone. He told her he stopped in to check that she did as he advised. Once reassured that she had done so he quietly walked away. So began her battle, and while she detests being confined to her wheelchair she is grateful that she still leads a full life. In time she wanted to reach out and thank those people who helped her through her battle. Of course she wanted to thank the doctor who initially called her. As Connie tried to track him down she was dumbfounded at what she discovered. There was not then, nor ever had been, anyone who rented office space from her primary doctor on Saturdays! As far as anyone knew this "doctor" who sent her to the hospital so that she could receive a life saving procedure did not exist. She considers him an angel who saved her life.
As Connie spoke Elizabeth sat nearby both confirming what her mother said and filling in any details her mother left out. At one point Connie mentioned that Elizabeth was a ballet dancer up until Connie become ill. Elizabeth added that she had actually performed at Longwood's open air theater in the past. Then she casually stood up, did a few twirls around the room and kicked up her leg so that her sneaker clad foot rose above her head! Suzanne and I laughed out loud with both surprise and delight.
The outside door opened, and Paula walked in. Paula is a delightful lady who is one of the administrators at Longwood. She was on her way to her office which is located on the second floor of the house. Paula was drawn into our conversation and stole a few minutes of her busy day to join us. Connie spoke of her regret that Elizabeth had put a hold on her career in order to care for her. With pride yet almost as an afterthought Connie added that Elizabeth was also an opera singer.
With a bit of encouragement Elizabeth stood up. In a way that appeared almost effortless for her she began to sing. Her voice soared from within her and resounded throughout the building. There was no laughter as her song seemed to rise to the heavens. As the three of us watched and listened in awe I felt my eyes fill up with tears. Suzanne would later say that her arms were covered with goosebumps, and I watched Paula look up and nod to someone on the second floor as she wiped a tear from her eyes. If it is true that Longwood is a bit of heaven, then on that day we heard the voice of an angel.
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