Ask Grandpa: Unwelcome prank to positives in pandemic

Ask Grandpa
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Grandpa,
Last week would have been my 45th wedding anniversary if my wife were still alive. She passed away nearly three years ago. On the date of our anniversary I got a card in the mail addressed to her. It was “signed” by (her brother) who was killed in the same car accident as my wife. There was no return address on the envelope. This is a cruel hoax. Today my sister-in-law called to tell me that she got a card addressed to her late husband, my wife’s brother. The card was “signed” by my wife. Grandpa, it is not anywhere near my late brother-in-law’s birthday. Neither of us knows who sent these cards. We have decided to contact the postal service inspectors to report this harassment. We are not asking for your advice, just your help. Would you kindly publish this letter in the hopes that the sender reads your column and is put on notice that authorities will find them and we will both sign formal complaints. Thank from two heartbroken souls.

Grandpa says: I am most happy to accommodate your request. Please know that an individual as sick as the sender of those cards needs to be caught and stopped before the deviancy goes further. I offer my condolences to you and your sister-in-law. I bid you peace.

Grandpa,
You asked that individuals send letters telling about positive things that they did during the height of the pandemic. A retired lady in our building knocked on my door to tell me that she knows I work two jobs and go to a local laundromat to do my wash when I can find the time. She told me that if I leave my wash at her door, she will have it washed and folded when I get home from work. All she asks in return is that I provide the detergent and (a liquid sanitizer for laundry). She will not accept any payment. I just want to thank her publicly for her kindness.

Grandpa says: What a sweet kindness! If she will not accept payment, a nice plant or bouquet of flowers would be a great thank you gift!

Grandpa,
I am a server in a restaurant. I work hard and have very nice customers. I make a living wage and enjoy my work. The shutdown did hurt me as well as thousands of others. It is slowly coming back, but seeing my regular customers again makes it easier. The number of people with positive comments far outweighs the grouches. I am lucky to be in this business. I get to meet people of all walks of life, all perspectives on every topic, all opinions and all slants on politics. But one thing is common among most of my customers; the joy and exuberance of life. Everyone seems to agree that we can pull through these hard times by working together. It is the attitudes of my customers that will get me through this recovery. I just wanted to share that because you asked readers to tell you about the positive things people have done.

Got something stuck in your craw? Ask Grandpa. Address your letters to Ask Grandpa c/o The Voice, PO Box 123,
Aurora, IL 60507 or send an E-mail to askgrandpa@thevoice.us.

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