When we choose to live in a neighborhood, we choose to have neighbors. More often than not, the interaction between neighbors is pretty minimum. We all have busy lives, so when we see our neighbors it’s generally in passing. But in those tiny moments, if we can at least say “hello” or “good morning”, it makes everyone feel good.

That is what Aldon O’neill Ward III has always tried to do. He wants to give his neighbors a warm feeling by acknowledging them.

Aldon goes on to explain the story:

“Since 2011 I’ve seen an older couple walking the neighborhood every morning and evening. Matching windbreaker outfits, large white new balance sneakers and a stick in hand.

Every day, they’d wave and blow kisses at the dogs. Always saying what a beautiful day it was even if they were walking in the rain without an umbrella.

We never exchanged names but I knew where they lived and they knew where the boys and I lived.”

This is exactly the general relationship with neighbors people have. We don’t know many details about each others lives, but we don’t have to.

For Aldon, it continued on like that for years. He had a particularly fond memory of the couple.

“The year is 2015. The top and doors are off my Jeep and I’m returning from beach with Ares my red Doberman. I’m flipping through songs to use for an edit and started the Maroon 5 cover of “The Way You Look Tonight”. Volume maxed out I entered the neighborhood and made my way to my front drive.

As I turned onto my street I saw the couple walking as usual with matching windbreaker outfits and big stick for protection (🤷🏻‍♂️). As I passed them en route to my driveway, they turned and looked at me with huger smiles on their faces.”

“The man motioned for me to turn up the music just as I was reaching for the knob to turn it down. The huge mud tires whirred slowly to a stop On the concrete. After getting out of the jeep while they walked by the front yard, the man exclaimed “Sure is wonderful to hear stuff like that being played by a young’n!” As he he swung his wife’s hand up and over her head twirling her in her oversized all white NewBalance walking shoes with teal stripes.

As the years flew by, they’d pass while I was working out, landscaping or wrenching on the truck. Anything from Alan Jackson and Metallica to Thomas Rhett and Lil Wayne would be pouring from my open garage door or split level front yard. They always smiled, they always waved and they always danced.”

Those memories were soon all Aldon would have left of the couple. Fast forward to the day the video was taken:

“I’m watering my freshly laid sod. Griswold my standard poodle is close by vigilantly protecting me from dragon flies and the occasional squirrel.

A windbreaker suit swooshes slowly down the street below. Alone, the woman approaches. I wave, she waves. I exclaim in a joking manner, “where’s the better half?”.

Her stride slowed and she began to shake her head. She looked up at me through her large blinder style sunglasses and with a trembling voice said “I don’t have him anymore.”

My heart sank.”

Sometimes you can feel someone’s emotion cut right into your heart. That’s what happened, and Aldon had to go console her.

“I rushed down to the street already feeling tight in my own chest. “ma’am?” I said, as I approached her. She turned and with tears streaming from behind here large sunglasses not another word was spoken, we hugged. Big hugged. Like she was my mom or my grandmother. She sobbed into my chest for a moment and said “I’m just trying do the things that we used to so I still feel like he’s around…. I needed that hug more than you know, thank you for all the music.”

Take Aldon’s final few words to heart. And remember,

“Hug ‘em big, folks.”

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Source: Aldon O’Neill Ward III