| The big red box by Ridgely Goldsborough February came and as usual, depression set in. With holidays behind her, she could no longer look forward to the parade of friends and relatives that helped her chase away the loneliness. The gloomy, gray mornings only made it worse. She hated Februarys. She remembered how much she used to cherish Valentine's Day, the way he began a week ahead of time, with a different gift each day, building to a huge bouquet of flowers and some special, intimate present that seemed so well thought-out. He always surprised her somehow. She loved that about him. After Jim passed away, her life force seemed to seep out of her like a huge balloon with a slow leak, a little more each day. Deflated, she struggled to get up, pull herself together and function with any sense of normalcy. "Maybe today will be better," she tried to convince herself. The box shocked her. She knew she hadn't ordered anything because she couldn't afford it. When she first saw the UPS man at her door, half-hidden by an enormous cardboard thing, she thought for sure that he had made a mistake. "Sign here," the man said. "Where would you like me to put this?" Flustered, she pointed to the chair in the hallway, the one where Jim always dropped his coat. She stood in the foyer staring at the box, afraid to touch it. No return address, no indication of where it came from. "Should I open it?" she questioned, uncertain and timid. "Why am I acting so ridiculous?" she fussed at herself. She walked to the kitchen, picked up a knife and returned, cut the tape that held the package together and lifted the flaps. Underneath the white Styrofoam peanuts, she could see a vivid red. "What's that?" she wondered and began to dig. Despite herself, she could feel her adrenalin surge. She let the peanuts fall to the ground. There, inside the box, sat another one, a bright cherry color, with a pink bow that held a single silk rose. Her heartbeat quickened and her face flushed. She reached in and removed the mystery, set it on the neighboring table. "Who sent this? What is it?" Suddenly, she chuckled. She saw her own smile in the mirror above the counter and barely recognized it. It had been so long. Her excitement took over. She ripped off the ribbon, kept the rose in one hand and pulled off the top. A purple boa wrapped around matching slippers rested on top of a satiny camisole of the same color. "My favorite!" she squealed. She nestled the boa around her neck and picked up the card with a huge heart on the front. With much trepidation, she opened it and felt her eyes mist. She cried her way through the words. "Mom, I love you so much. Will you be my Valentine? Jim, Jr." Who might you reach out to this Valentine's Day who might otherwise be alone? Could you find it within yourself to do it? Ridgely Goldsborough holds an undergraduate degree from The University of Virginia, a law degree from Whittier College School of Law, is fluent in five languages and has spoken to audiences throughout Europe, Southeast Asia, Mexico and North America. He founded and/or acted as publisher for Network Marketing Lifestyles magazine, Domain Street magazine and the Upline Journal, along with dozens of books, audio and video materials. Visit www.aviewfromtheridge.com or e-mail ridge@aviewfromtheridge.com Copyright © 2004 Ridgely Goldsborough |
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Feb 2004 |
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