6/24/22, 8:06 AM
My View: Lessons from an unexpected visitor | Opinion | buffalonews.com
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My View: Lessons from an unexpected visitor Ross Feltz Jun 23, 2022
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I
heard a car door shut. Then the doorbell. Then the words: “You must be Ross.” They were spoken by a lady I did not recognize.
“Is Marie here?” she asked. “Yes, come on in,” I said, still not recognizing her. “It must be more than 50 years since we have seen each other,” she said as my wife approached. “I remember your long pigtails when we were about in third grade,” she added. “Yes, I could sit on the ends of them,” said Marie. I’m still standing there stupefied. No idea who this is. But she and Marie are here in Meadville, Pa., talking about grade school days at Public School 68 in Buffalo’s Kensington-Bailey area. Our visitor turned out to be Marie’s neighborhood friend Sally Clough. They still exchange Christmas cards. Sally
Ross Feltz
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6/24/22, 8:06 AM
My View: Lessons from an unexpected visitor | Opinion | buffalonews.com
also said she and her husband, George, enjoy reading my occasional My View columns in this space. They were in Meadville for a wedding event, and she asked her husband to find our home and visit before they left for a day at Presque Isle on the way back to Williamsville. He was reluctant to do so. It was noon on Sunday. We, however, enjoy unexpected visitors, even if I had just changed from church clothes to ragged paintcovered shorts and an undershirt.
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I went to the car and met George, who profusely apologized. I said, “absolutely no need.” I enjoyed getting to know him. Later, thanks to Google, I learned he had a deep interest in low-income housing. I serve on a church-related board that owns such housing. I might be calling on him for advice. You never know when you will meet someone who might be helpful. Sally asked if Marie remembered that her younger brother had a crush on Marie when they were children. “Must have been the pigtails,” Marie said. Later, thanks again to Google and articles in The Buffalo News, we learned that Sally’s brother, Charlie Clough, is quite an accomplished artist with works in museum collections and an ongoing public participatory painting project on the Roycroft campus in East Aurora. That was fun to learn.
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6/24/22, 8:06 AM
My View: Lessons from an unexpected visitor | Opinion | buffalonews.com
Afterward, Marie dug through some boxes of photos and found some of Sally and her, and Sally’s family. It brought back many memories. Today, thanks to Sally and reluctant George, they made a new memory. What are the lessons here? For one, those of you who write those annual greetings at Christmastime: know that people do read them. Marie has enjoyed seeing Sally’s family grow with the new photo each year. Sally said she enjoys reading about ours. Lesson two: If you find yourself in a town where a friend you haven’t seen in a while lives, and have the urge to ring a doorbell – do it. You have nothing to lose and much to gain. Lesson three: If you are the one answering the door, see it as an opportunity. Sometimes the knock from the Fuller Brush Man was timely. (For those of us who remember.) Later in the day, we had dinner with our daughter, JoLayne, and her family to celebrate her 50th birthday. We ended the day watching the Memorial Day concert from Washington, D.C. Through sometimes with teary eyes, but also a constant grateful heart, we thought about those no longer with us, whether casualties of war or other causes. Which brings me to the final lesson from that day: Friendship can be touchy and fragile, especially in today’s environment. Value it. Nurture it, even once a year with a card. You never know how long it will last. Thanks for the visit, Sally and George.
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