"Jan Fowler has created a sparkling diamond" -Paul Ryan, Celebrity TV Talk Show Host for CBS, NBC, ABC; author of The Art of Comedy: Getting Serious about Being Funny "Entertaining, energetic, heartwarming! True-life accounts of real people from all walks of life" -Jackie Goldberg (The Pink Lady), Producer of Senior Star Power Productions "Rockin" With the Ages, The Musical" Hollywood "The perfect gift book for any senior" -Bruce McAllister, award-winning author of Dream Baby "A wonderful collection of short stories to share and remember" -Sherii Sherban, Publisher, Senior Times South Central Michigan "Getting back into the dating game after years, or even decades, in a relationship can be extremely difficult. This book will give you the encouragement, advice and direction to seek out your next true love" -Daniel Waterloo, Director of Seniordating.org "Jan Fowler is the voice of today's senior! Stories about love and life, trials and victories, miracles in the unexpected and the funny, yet meaningful, moments in life" -Barbara A. Berg, speaker, coach, author of How to Escape the No-win Trap and Ring Shui Hot Chocolate for Seniors More than 100 heartwarming, humorous, inspiring stories written by seniors, for seniors, and about seniors! By Jan Fowler Balboa Press Copyright © 2011 Jan Fowler All right reserved. ISBN: 978-1-4525-3945-4 Contents Dedication...................................................................viiPreface......................................................................ixAcknowledgments..............................................................xiSpecial Mention..............................................................xiiiChapter 1: Angels' Wings & Other Unexplained Mysteries.......................1Chapter 2: Falling in Love Again.............................................29Chapter 3: Animal Blessings..................................................59Chapter 4: War & Peace.......................................................83Chapter 5: Portraits in Time.................................................105Chapter 6: Hot Dogs & Mustard for Sports Fans................................135Chapter 7: Spit, Feathers, & Other Humorous Philosophies.....................153Chapter 8: Sacred Moments....................................................185Chapter 9: When Dreams Come True.............................................217Chapter 10: Helping Hands, Hopeful Hearts....................................235Chapter 11: Memorable Memorials..............................................251Chapter 12: Never Too Late...................................................263Chapter 13: And So It Goes...................................................281Chapter 14: Words of Pearly Wisdom...........................................301 Chapter One Angels' Wings & Other Unexplained Mysteries The Wallet by Arnold Fine As I stumbled home one freezing day, I happened upon a wallet someone had lost in the street. I picked it up and looked inside to find some identification so I could call the owner. But the wallet contained only three dollars and a crumpled letter that looked as if it had been in there for years. The envelope was worn and the only thing that was legible on it was the return address. I started to open the letter, hoping to find some clue. Then I saw the date—1924. The letter had been written almost sixty years earlier. It was written in a beautiful feminine handwriting on powder-blue stationery with a little flower in the left-hand corner. It was a "Dear John" letter that told the recipient, whose name appeared to be Michael, that the writer could not see him anymore because her mother forbade it. Even so, she wrote that she would always love him. It was signed Hannah. It was a beautiful letter, but there was no way, except for the name Michael, to identify the owner. Maybe if I called information, the operator could find a phone listing for the address on the envelope. "Operator," I began, "this is an unusual request. I'm trying to find the owner of a wallet that I found. Is there any way you can tell me if there is a phone number for an address that was on an envelope in the wallet?" She suggested I speak with her supervisor, who hesitated for a moment, then said, "Well, there is a phone listing at that address, but I can't give you the number." She said that as a courtesy she would call that number, explain my story, and ask whoever answered if the person wanted her to connect me. I waited a few minutes and then the supervisor was back on the line. "I have a party who will speak with you." I asked the woman on the other end of the line if she knew anyone by the name of Hannah. She gasped. "Oh! We bought this house from a family who had a daughter named Hannah. But that was thirty years ago!" "Would you know where that family could be located now?" I asked. "I remember that Hannah had to place her mother in a nursing home some yea