The Waving Girl, Savannah

I have always loved visiting The Waving Girl in Savannah, Georgia.  I’ve spent a lot of time down there, especially over the last few years and I always have the urge to go to visit her statue.  It started when I was younger and I was first on River Street with my family and heard about her.  From then on, she stayed in a special place in my heart for reasons unknown to me.

On River Street, the above statue stands as a testament to The Waving Girl.  She was a woman named Miss Florence Martus who, by waving her handkerchief in greeting to the passing ships, grew a beautiful legend by her simple act of connection and kindness.

Here you can read all about her!

Have you ever been to Savannah?  There is so much to do there!  It’s an amazing city full of Southern charm, ghosts, good food, shops, antiques, history and of course, my favorite, The Waving Girl.

What entices me about her?  I guess it’s the simplicity in which she changed the world around her.  Above you can read how many ships she greeted in her lifetime and what her simple act did for the crews on the passing ships.  They looked for her greeting and looked forward to seeing her waving her handkerchief to them as they passed by.  To me, it’s like smiling at strangers in the grocery store or on the street.  You hope that by that simple act, you connect with someone else for a moment in a good way.

Imagine our world if we were all to greet each other with kindness, with a smile or a friendly wave, asking nothing in return except for a similar greeting!  Oh my, I can feel the world now smile with joy for the love that would surround Mother Earth!  Can’t you?

Here’s Miss Florence Martus waving to you!

Won’t you please greet the next person you see with a smile?

Shine On!

xo

**Photo of Miss Florence Martus, 1931. Photographer Unknown. Courtesy of Bull Street Library, Georgia Live Oak Libraries.

** Photo “Waving Girl” Statue on River Street, 2016. Courtesy of Alison Lechner from the Georgia History website.

 

Saying Goodbye Is Never Easy

Being in a memory care facility, like the one that my family members were in Savannah, is like being with family.  Residents all sit at the meal tables with the same group and become, over time, a soul family.  A family of people who aren’t related by blood nor marriage, but are family all the same in the best sense – the sense of belonging together, sharing meals, supporting each other and caring with kindness that goes beyond, goes deeper than simple connections.

One might say that in a memory care facility, residents don’t always recognize other people nor interact, but we were truly blessed.  Not only did the residents bond with each other, sharing stories (sometimes repeatedly – it was always a joy to hear them), but the families of the residents bonded in ways that we couldn’t have foreseen.

What binds us together is a love connection – the innate understanding that we get it – we know how it feels to have a loved one living in a memory care facility and all that goes along with it and we’re grateful for the unexpected friendships that accompany our experiences.

So when I got the phone message that my friend’s Mama passed away the other morning, the tears burst out of my eyes and I began to cry while listening to her message.  My phone volume had been turned down and because it was in the bottom of my purse, I missed her call.  Immediately I called her back, but she didn’t pick up.  I tried not to weep too much, but I left her a message telling her how sad I was to hear the news.

You see, her Mama and my loved ones were best friends, having lived in the same home for two years.  Every meal, they ate together, shared stories and smiled.  They bonded in the most beautiful way.  I am getting weepy remembering how in the last few years of their lives, these strangers shared a bond, connected and loved one another as if they were family.  I could regale you with so many stories of special moments we shared together.  My friend and I took special care of each other’s loved ones when we were visiting them.  It was truly a blessing.  I pray that someday when I’m older, if I should go to a home, that I find such loving residents (and caregivers) to call my soul family.  That’s how strongly I feel and why I am so sad about her Mama’s passing for it is the end of a chapter in our lives.

Her Mama is at peace now for which we are all grateful.  But there’s that part of me, the one that wants one more hug, one more smile from Wilma and one more story.  I want to see her needlepoint again and hear her laugh.  I know for sure, that she is up there in Heaven, happy to be reunited with her family, her husband and my loved one again.  I know I now have another special angel looking out for me from Heaven and I am ever grateful that we connected so long ago.   Rest in Peace Miss Wilma.  God Bless.

Shine On!

xo