When I was 20 years old I took my first full-time job in a doctor’s office. The office staff consisted of only two other women besides the doctors. The job would have been joyless had it not been for Loie, who worked as the insurance clerk. She happily sang “O Sole Mio” while she plunked out insurance forms on her manual typewriter. She was wonderful to anxious patients. She took her turn at running to get the doctor’s daily fish on rye. And she was a friend to a timid girl on her first job.
Yesterday was Loie’s 86th birthday and if not for the limitations of a broken hip and wrist, I’m sure she would have been up to some tom foolery.
I had thought I would tell some stories on her, but there are so many I wouldn’t even know where to start. Or which category to go to- the many acts of spontaneity that helped loosen me up to possibility, the hilarious stories of her exploits, the many many anonymous gifts I received that I am almost certain I could track to her (she truly invented Random Acts of Kindness), well, I could even make a whole category of just stories about her driving.
Not one story would do her justice. And she’s making new stories every day. Someday I hope to sit in a circle and just hear and tell great Loie stories. Until then, I’ll just say I love her, and she changed my world.
Oh, and the apple didn’t fall very far from the tree. Check out her daughter Suzanne’s blog.
2 comments:
My fingers did fast work copying and pasting this in to a letter to Loie.
Oh, how she will love it!
Thank you.
PS I provided the glasses for a Christmas Family photo.
You know how when you are low ebb you forget who you are?
This will serve as her reminder.
Loie sounds like a jewel! Lucky you to have known her.
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