Editor:
About a month ago, I was walking past the Semiahmoo Shopping Centre’s Shoppers Drug Mart and saw an elderly gentleman in distress.
He said he felt faint, so I looked for a place to help him sit down. There was nowhere to be found and, because he had his little dog with him, he couldn’t go into Shoppers.
I stood with the gentleman until he felt better, and we went on our separate ways. I asked Shoppers why there were no benches in front for customers. Since the land belonged to the mall, they weren’t able to.
I sent an email to mall management explaining what I had experienced and suggested it would be to the mall’s benefit to have a bench there.
I must say I wasn’t all that hopeful but, to my surprise, a week or so later I received an email from the property manager Julia Sangerloo. She agreed there should be a bench and was going to have one installed.
Yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised to see a beautiful bench installed in front of Shoppers Drug Mart.
As I stood there admiring it, a gentleman sat down. He told me he comes to the mall every day and was so happy to find the bench there a few days earlier. As we chatted, I asked him if he’d mind if I took his picture, to which he said he would be happy to do so. I have included a picture of Edgar Paulse of Crescent Beach enjoying the shade on a hot summer day.
As I continued on into Shoppers, Edgar was joined by another senior shopper and, as I left the store, they were still there chatting and enjoying some camaraderie in a busy world. It made my heart glow to see that my few minutes of time to send a request to a big corporation has provided many people with an amenity they can use for their safety and enjoyment.
Many thanks to Julia Sangerloo and Semiahmoo management. Well done.
Jean Ouderkirk, Surrey
• • •
On Sunday, a hot summer day, three senior citizens, among hundreds of others, drove to Crescent Beach for a swim in the ocean.
After driving around the streets for some 15 minutes, we finally found a place to park the car a couple blocks from the beach. It was a bit too far for some of us to walk, so on our return I went to pick up the car while the other two waited.
As I approached them with the car, I was surprised to see them both sitting on garden chairs, with a big grin on their faces.
What had happened: as they were waiting in the heat leaning against a fire hydrant, a resident across the street, a complete stranger, saw them and brought them each a garden chair! Is this not a wonderful, thoughtful thing to do?
How often does this happen? Blessings to him.
Ritva MacLeod, White Rock