Keeping the Faith

AUG 07, 2019 – We want to share some uplifting news that did our hearts good, with the hope it does the same for yours.

Longtime Cardies know all about our heroine, Hannlis, my Miami Beach neighbor and most inspiring person around. Back to being fairly self-mobile after mending a second broken hip, two weeks ago H determined it was time to sell her home of 40 years and move even closer to the beach. Determined is the operative word here because — decision made — in the last 10 days she’s put her 3BR house on the market and already packed most of what she wants  in a 1BR apartment starting September 1st. And how fun is this?! Her new place is three doors down the hall from mine. :)

I live in one of the few remaining little former-motels on the quiet north end of Miami Beach, where we sidestep turtle nests on our way down to the sea. When Hannlis came to see the unit available on the second floor, at ground level she grabbed hold of the handrail and pulled herself up the 16 steep steps, hand-over-hand as if rope climbing. “I dunno about this, Hannlis,” I said when she’d made it to the top, and was promptly told, “Let’s have a look!”

Inside the apartment, you could see her sense of purpose kick in and, no matter how many times I said, “But the stairs …” she was undeterred. It helped that the would-be landlord put to rest Hannlis’ one big concern: “Yes, you may bring your own toilet complete with your beloved bidet.” :) Then, this nearing 96-year-old and I had a serious talk about what it would be like if the stairs prevented her from traveling any farther than the 50 paces between her apartment and the ocean balcony outside mine. She went home to think it over.

The next morning she called bright and early to say she was heading back over to take some measurements. A few minutes passed before I walked down the hall with a folding chair to create a resting place on the landing half-way up and — by the time I got there — saw that she’d already scaled Mt. Stairs! “How was it today?” I asked, and heard, “Great!” Then she explained, “Last night I thought about my grandfather back in Germany. He lived in a third-floor walkup with us all his life, going up and down 50 steps several times a day until he moved to a one-story house at 88. I so clearly remember him saying on moving day, ‘I will sure miss my stairs. They kept me going, fit and strong.’ He died three weeks later. So I am going to befriend my stairs! I’ll count on them to keep me going, fit and strong.” Amazing.

The following week, near the end of the lease-signing, the landlord — a lovely woman named Shalimar — asked Hannlis if she felt confident stepping in and out of the tub. Hannlis gave her a big, we-shall-see shrug, and then I said to Shalimar, “It helped that you approved her installing hand rails, and the tub is shallow enough that she feels comfortable stepping in and out, but there’s no question she’ll miss the beautiful walk-in shower she built in her home.” Shalimar leaned forward, looked Hannlis in her big, milky eyes and very lovingly said, “I’m going to build you a beautiful walk-in shower. I want to make sure you feel very safe here. And then I want to be invited to your 100th birthday party on the terrace!”

Wow, tears sprang up all around. Who does that?! What owner upgrades a perfectly good rental unit for a 96-year-old tenant?! “I believe in paying it forward,” Shalimar explained, restoring a bit of our faith in humanity by offering to go above and beyond in such a sweet way.

Needless to say, you and I both know and care for people who struggle with far more than moving into a lovely, little place on Miami Beach. You send our support & encouragement cards off to them regularly. Wouldn’t it be great to bottle the sea turtle belief, vitality, optimism and resiliency that our Hannlis has? With that, and Shalimar’s sense of compassion, there is nothing we together couldn’t do!

~ jodee stevens
founder & chief creative