Marry a man who will go shopping for you to buy a yellow coat you don’t need.
That is my advice to my granddaughters. I might add, especially if he is one who hates to shop. He will be a keeper!
I have a keeper. It’s been nine years since we met in the waiting room at Don Hinds Ford, and I fall in love with him over and over again because of the little things he does.
My dear friend, Don Jellison (RIP), longtime newspaper guy, once told me, “Janet, you sure know how to write those schmaltzy columns.” I still remember that February evening in 2014 when he called me and asked if I would write them for his newspaper, The Hamilton County Reporter. My heart still does cartwheels when I think about it. THE newspaper guy of Hamilton County wanted me to write for his newspaper. EEEK!
Back to my schmaltzy story.
I’ll say it until I take my last breath, God knew it would take an amazing man to love my heart well. I had put up quite a concrete boundary wrapped in barbed wire to guard my heart. God knew just the right man to bring into my life … Chuck Leonard.
A few weeks ago, I returned to the little yellow house on the alley after walking three miles with my bestie, Patrice. We had stopped in the Linden Tree Boutique as we were coming back from Forest Park. I found the most beautiful yellow coat that I didn’t need. It beckoned me from the storefront window. It seemed to say, “You want me!” I may have whispered, “But I don’t need you.”
Now if you know Chuck Leonard you know he is not a shopper … but he is a listener. I might have mentioned something about the coat when I got home.
For many reasons, the next day was a bad day … a really bad one.
I walked in the back door. It was after dark and I had driven home from the hospital in the pouring rain, struggling to see through not only the tsunami that had hit my windshield but the tsunami that had pounded my heart. Adding to all that was the fact that I am dealing with the not-so-wonderful aging ailment of cataracts. My mother would have said I was having a come apart.
I could not hide the mascara-stained cheeks as I saw Chuck Leonard sitting at the kitchen table. He knew my heart was hurting. He could see the invisible shards of brokenness. I told him about sitting for five hours in the surgery waiting room, the words the surgeon said and the absolutely horrendous drive home. I was a not-so-pretty sobbing mess.
And then I saw it … the yellow coat. Chuck Leonard had gone shopping. He had walked into the Linden Tree and asked about a yellow coat that had hung in the window. They had one left. It was just my size.
Photo provided
He put his arms around me. Without saying a word, I knew I was the most loved wife in the world. He hugged my heart.
While he couldn’t fix me and make everything all better, he could show me he loved me. That was what I needed. All he could do was love me … with a hug and a yellow coat.
If you see me out and about in a can-you-see-me-now yellow coat, just know I am wearing love. And Chuck Leonard knows just the right size I need.
So yes, granddaughters, find a man who will buy you a yellow coat that you don’t need. You will be loved well.
Janet Hart Leonard can be contacted at janethartleonard@gmail.com or followed on Facebook or Instagram (@janethartleonard). Visit janethartleonard.com.