The Fall Project

  The Fall Project

The previous fall, Gladys Southers had missed out because she had fallen and broken a hip. This meant, missing out on Halloween. Out of all the holidays, she loved the creepy day the best. She remembered as a young girl, the excitement of picking out a costume and running up and down the streets gathering a pillow case full of candy.

As an adult, she just loved handing out candy to all the little trick or treaters. The costumes and cuteness was something that she couldn’t get enough of and put a smile on her face for weeks.

This Halloween, she wasn’t going to miss out on it. She had started in February when the elderly woman had returned from the hospital and very glad to be back home.

Gladys had started out with Halloween decorations and then when she got a little stumped, she started to create autumn ones of wild turkeys, bats, vampires, leaves that looked on fire and so many more.

Her daughters and sons visited their mother on a regular basis. Every time they arrived, they brought more construction paper per her request. She never ran out. All through the long winter, the wonderful spring and sunny, hot summer, Gladys made decorations.

There were thousands of them and by the time Labour Day arrived, she had amassed a ton of fall decorations that rivalled the number of leaves that carpeted her front and back lawn.  The decorations were stored in boxes all over the house.

One day, her daughter Theresa visited.

“Mother, what are you going to do with all of those decorations?”

“I am going to donate them to a number of places to brighten everyone’s day.”

By this time, Gladys was a little more mobile. She was not a hundred percent yet and she might never get there.  

When the fall season hit with the windy, overcast cool days, with the leaves blowing around and the harvest moon boastful in the sky, Gladys knew it was time to deliver her decorations.

She went to the old age home where she had many friends. At one point, she would volunteer there, but after the broken hip, all types of that activity had ceased. She could walk, but it just wasn’t the same as before.

She moved on to the hospital and there was a box for the pre-natal floor, the cancer ward, the children’s cancer area and everywhere else. The staff helped her decorate the walls and the place looked a lot cheerier when they were done.

“Thank you, Gladys for all of the fine decorations. They are going to really raise spirits.”

“You are welcome.”

Gladys moved on because she had a lot more places to visit.  

She left some at the half-century club and it really spruced up the place. She left some at the veteran’s hall and the various elementary schools. She also gave a huge box to the daycare centre. The little children were very excited and some were in awe.

After she had delivered all of her fall decorations to everyone that was on the long list, Gladys went home. She was tired and it had been a long, but very nice, productive day.

The days floated by and Gladys didn’t have a lot to do. All of the construction paper was gone, there wasn’t one shred of a piece left.

Her generous donations went around and she was the talk of the town. Everyone thought it was wonderful and someone suggested that she be on TV.

When they called her up, she was too shy.

“Oh, I am too shy to be on TV. Besides, I didn’t really do that much.”

“You have brightened up everyone’s autumn and we think you deserve some recognition.”

“I will let you know.”

But, she had no intention of going through with it.  

But the TV people would not quit. There was also the CEO of the hospital and every other director and principal of the places that she had donated fall decorations.

All of a sudden, there was a lot of pressure on her to go on TV.

Her daughters and sons and grandchildren called her.

“Grandma, you just have to be on TV.”

Gladys didn’t like the limelight, but she realized that they wouldn’t leave her alone unless she caved in.

So, she called up the news station.

“This is Gladys and I will go on TV.”

“That is great.”

Plans were made and her family appeared on TV with her. She had told her oldest daughter: “If you want me to go on TV, I will but you have to be with me.”

All of the family showed up when the TV cameras arrived.

Beth Yarnow, the local special interests reporter was a pretty lady with a great smile. She was going to conduct the interview.

Everyone sat around the living room with the TV cameras and crew around.

“Are you nervous, grandma?”

“Just a little bit, honey. But that’s, okay cause I’m supposed to be nervous. How about you hold my hand?”

“Okay, I will.”

“Hello, everyone, I am Beth Yarnow and I am in the home of Gladys Southers otherwise known as the Fall Decoration Lady.”

The camera focused on Gladys and her family and they all smiled.

“Mrs. Southers, how do you feel?”

“Oh, please call me Gladys.”

“Gladys, how do you feel?”

“Well, a little overwhelmed at this point. I didn’t expect to be on TV.”

“How did this all come about?”

“Well, just after Labour Day last year, I fell and broke my hip. I was in the hospital for a long time and eventually came home. But, I missed fall my favourite time of the season.  So this year, I decided that I would do something about it. That’s when I thought it would be fun to make autumn decorations.”

“And you made a whole bunch?”

“I sure did.”

“And, you donated them to a number of places?”

“Yes, I did and it was fun. I hear it brightened up everyone’s fall.”

“So that was mission accomplished?”

“Yes, it was mission accomplished.”

“And you have all of your family here with you?”

“I do. I told them that I would not be on TV unless they all appeared with me.”

The whole family smiled.

“Well, that is wonderful. Are you going to make some for next year?”

“Yes, I have decided to make some for every fall season. After the hip accident, I just don’t have the same mobility that I had before.”

“Well, I think what you are doing is wonderful.”

“Thank you.  All I have to do now is acquire some more construction paper.”

The TV people left and her family stayed for supper.  

That night, Gladys looked out at the stars and smiled.

The next day, there was the honking of a horn in the driveway. She looked out the door and it was a delivery truck.

The two men smiled and waved their caps as they brought in box after box of construction paper.

Once they were done, she couldn’t believe it.

“Well, I guess I better get started.”

Gladys laughed and started to unpack the multiple boxes of brightly coloured construction paper.