Aldon was just spending another normal day, watering his front door when a neighbor was walking by. Aldon greeted the neighbor and asked her about her partner. At his shock, the woman responded that her husband sadly passed away, Aldon reached out and gave her a much-needed hug.
All photos were used with the explicit permission of Aldon O’neill Ward III
Aldon O’Neill Ward III is the Mr. Rogers of his neighborhood, the kind of neighbor everyone hopes to have. When people in the neighborhood walk past his yard, they usually leave with a big smile.
Aldon had noticed an elderly couple who went out walking together every morning and evening for years. They wore matching windbreaker outfits with white walking shoes, and each had a walking stick. They were always happy and in a good mood, even if it was raining. They waved at Aldon and blew kisses at Aldon’s dogs as they passed, he wrote in a Facebook post.
Aldon didn’t know their names, but he did know which house they lived in, and they clearly knew where he lived with his dogs. Sometimes the couple would stop to chat briefly before continuing with their promenade.
And then, one day, Aldon was outside with his standard poodle, Griswold, who was standing guard against any invading squirrels. Aldon had just laid down some fresh sod in his yard and was watering it when he noticed one member of the couple, alone, was walking down the street. He says he waved, and she waved back, and then he asked, jokingly, “Where’s the better half?”
The elderly woman looked at him and said in a trembling voice while crying:
“I don’t have him anymore.”
Aldon dropped everything and rushed out into the street. He invited the woman into a hug and gave her a bear-hug like she was his own grandma. She sobbed against his chest for a few minutes.
She softly said she was trying to continue on with her life the way it was before, and then set off, determined to finish her walk, alone. Sometimes a hug from a stranger is exactly what you need to give you enough inner strength to face the trials and tribulations of life.
https://www.facebook.com/aldonw/videos/10163243666355475/
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