TIS PROM SEASON in Minnesota, that annual rite of spring which throws teenage girls into a spin over finding just the right dress, getting a fabulous up-do, planning photo sessions and doing whatever to create the perfect evening.
That’s all delightful, to live in a fairytale world.
But what a group of girls in rural southwestern Minnesota did on the day of their high school prom impresses me more than all the magical glitz and glam.
They took the time last weekend to share prom with the residents of a small town nursing home.
This my mother, who recently moved into Parkview Home in Belview, shared with me during our weekly Sunday evening phone conversation.
If those teens could have eavesdropped on our exchange, they would know just how happy they made my mom by stopping at their workplace before prom to show off their Cinderella selves.
Mom didn’t comment specifically on the dresses, although she did on the “fancy hair.”
And, she noted, some of the girls brought their dates, who, she laughed, looked a bit bored and “were probably wondering when they could leave.”
I don’t doubt her observation. Physically Mom is limited in her abilities. But mentally she is still, as they say, sharp as a tack.
This isn’t about my mother, though, who also profusely praised those prom-goers as kind and thoughtful.
Rather, this is about these young women and, yes, their dates, too. I am impressed by their care, kindness and generosity of spirit. They could have gone on their way, without a thought of stopping at Parkview. But they did. And for that, this daughter is grateful.
© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
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