Who do you remember from your past who would have no idea that they'd been memorable to you?

[halexanderamilton]

I saw a lollipop lady this morning and it made me remember the lovely lollipop lady from my primary school who was so friendly and fun and remembered all the children's names. I obviously don't know but I'm guessing she's passed on now, not knowing how she had affected me and most likely lots of other people. I am 52 now and I have remembered her with fondness. It made me wonder if there was anyone who will still remember me in 45 years when I'm gone, other than close family, obviously.

What random person can you remember with pleasure from your past who wouldn't know that you remembered them?

This is such a lovely thread (I know I'm biased ) So many kind people around who have no idea what they've done. And who knew how many selfless cabbies are on our roads?
Some incredibly sad stories here too.

A lady who gave my children sandwiches when the train we were taking a seven hour journey on had no Buffett car

The first health visitor I saw after my first child was born. I saw her once, she was retired but since they were short staffed and she loved her job, she would come help out. I was so scared and worried I was doing it all wrong. But this woman was so calm and full of love, she told me how well I was doing and most of all she meant it. I can't describe how much she boosted my confidence when I needed it.

Another was my health visitor with my second child. For the first six weeks things were great and she was very happy with how we were doing. But I was very open Bout being prone to PND. So she gave me extra visits for the first two months to make sure she caught it if it developed. When it did, there was no judgement, she put me on a baby massage course, told me that I would get through it and she was so confident I could believe her.

For those women I just one of many, but for me they are very important women.

I don't want to bring the mood down but I have a sad one that has haunted me. When DC were tiny and DS2 was very ill I existed on 1-3 hours sleep a night for months and was really holding it together by a thread. One day I was wheeling them in their buggy around the lake in the park very early in the morning and saw a small girl near a man who was ignoring her. As we approached I saw she wa sfilthy, her hair all in knots. She met my eye and walked towards me, her eyes really sending out, 'Help me,' messages. When she got to me she lifted up her hand for me to take it. She was filthy and I remember very clearly thinking: at any other time in my life, darling I would take your hand right now and find out what's going on but the germs on you could kill my sick son and I can hardly stand upright I'm so tired. So I brushed her off and walked away.

I know I really couldn't help her on that day. I was so shattered from sleep deprivation I used to actually forget my own name. But I have never ever forgotten her. And when the Victoria Climbie case reached the headlines I stared at her for hours and hours, haunted because the girl I met looked so like her, it might have been her.

It's possible that I was so sleep deprived I was being over emotional and she was just a grubby kid, curious about my babies, out with her dad. I hope so.

Sorry for the mood change. But I do wonder what I could do now to make up for that decision.

Paul . I remember Paul .He was in a Young Offenders Institution near my University and I was interviewing him and many others as part of my dissertation 30 years ago . I was reading out questions and the multiple choice responses. In answer to the question "How would you say you treat the people you love?
A..very well. B...blah blah etc
Paul sat for a few seconds, shifted in his seat and said, " I dont know ... no one has ever loved me ..."
I didn't grow up with much at all, but I guess I never realised how rich I was . His answer was like a punch in the guts .Never forgotten Paul 💗

A Headmaster who would not remember me cos he died!

We were doing a concert at school and he collapsed at the piano and died. Even the naughty kids cried. He was a great bloke.

Several have touched me, but most recently was in September.
Dd was blue lighted into hospital with a bad asthma attack, I hadn’t been able to get hold of OH as he was out riding his horse and had accidentally left his phone in his locker. So I was alone in resus trying to keep myself together while they worked on DD who was still conscious- I knew if I looked scared or panicky she would panic so I had to make like it was all routine. I had to step outside to signed some paperwork and broke down in tears - an HCA came up to me, gave me a big hug and asked if it was my daughter in resus. Her kindness and strength gave me so much hope. She brought me a tea a while later and kept checking on us, even coming to the ward after her shift.
I’m so sorry I didn’t catch her name because she was wonderful. When I write to the hospital later I tried to describe her and I hope the message got through.

As an HCA you do remember patients, every Christmas I remember those who died in my care (I only did the job for three years) . I remember one poor poor man who was very ill - and then his wife was diagnosed as having had weeks left if that even . I took him to see her (opposite ends of the same huge hospital) . I got home and cried my eyes out for him, his wife and their lovely family .

And another man who was dying leaving his son without a living parent (mum had died already) . When he started crying as the diagnosis hit him, so did I - I was very new to the job and didn’t know how to handle it . I remember I couldn’t stop apologising . He died very soon after .

Every Christmas I remember them - and so so many others . Even the ones who lived , I sometimes have a thought of . I think if I didn’t I wouldn’t have been doing my job properly .

Lovely thread.

My ex left me and my then 2 year old DDten years ago of the blue. I was in a state of shock and not coping when a week later I did a pregnancy test and it was positive. I was completely floored and wasn't even sure how could cope with 1 on my own let alone two.

I went to the doctors seeking a termination. My mind was made up! She told me to go away and give things some more time and thought.. just 2 or 3 weeks. I remember feeling really annoyed with her as I already knew what I wanted and she wasn't helping me.

Something changed over this time and from talking with friends and thinking it over. I started to see that in time, this pregnancy and new baby at the end of it could be something really positive even though I didn't feel like I could cope at the time. I'll always be so thankful to that doctor. The 'baby' is currently downstairs playing Fortnite

Yep an old dinner lady.

The nurse who sensed how scared I was even though I never said anything to her. I was waiting to go down for a mastectomy and terrified. She had been talking to me while getting me ready but I couldn't make conversation with her. She even took me down to theatre in a wheelchair even though I was quite capable of walking. I'll never forget her kindness.

A hospital doctor who comforted me after I was admitted and it looked like I'd be there for a couple of weeks. This was back in 2001.
I sobbed and sobbed because I had two very young children at home plus I was terrified and hate hospitals.

I think this doctor was either a student or newly qualified, he was only young, and he'd been with a senior doctor who'd come to see me when I was admitted.
He came back when he was on his break as I'd been so upset and sat chatting to me, not about my poor health, just general friendly chat.

Actually, that's brought back a memory of a surgeon at the same time who offered me a cancellation for the major surgery I needed, just as I was packing for home and waiting to be discharged, as he knew that waiting for the date I'd been given would mean missing my baby's birthday.

When I was very little I was quite unwell in hospital, I was on complete bed rest for a while.
I had the loveliest nurse that literally lit up my room when she came to see me.
The first day I was allowed out of bed and could go for a walk she came into the ward and saw me, held out her arms for me run to her and swung me around!
My parents weren’t the most patient and caring people so she honestly gave me so much comfort at a pretty scary time.

I remember a nurse on the maternity ward after I gave birth to my son. I was repacking my bags and trying to work out what to leave behind as I was going to get the bus home. I had been brought in by ambulance. I was crying and trying to find the bus fare. She pulled the curtains closed, sat on the bed and talked to me. She organised one of those volunteer drivers to get me home. I was living alone and had no one at all. She made such a difference.
My darling boy died of meningitis when he was just two years old. I was sitting in our local park thinking of happy memories of him playing there. I was crying and a stranger, a lovely lady, sat on the same bench started talking to me about her dad who had died. We talked back and forth for an hour. She was so kind and understanding.

A priest. His name is Greg Tobin. Maybe someone knows him. He was the first person to tell my school group that everyone had equal worth and really mean it. Our teachers (overall, there were exceptions) turned a blind eye to a lot of bad behaviour. We were on a residential trip with school to a retreat centre and any bullying that may have been about to occur withered on the vine at that moment. The kids just knew father Greg wouldn't accept it. I had a great week and was left alone, even slightly included by the others and when we got home it seemed to be a bit of a turning point, almost as if picking on me and a couple of others had been a nasty habit that needed breaking rather than anything personal. I kind of felt differently about it all too. The remainder of year 10 and year 11 were much better. I have never forgotten the kindness and gentle authority that father Greg showed and what it meant to the kids who were struggling.