“Dear Sidewalk People.”
That’s how 9-year-old Dahlia started her handwritten note placed under a rock along a city sidewalk hoping to get the attention of Ann Arbor’s crews slated to replace the slab she holds dear due to a distinctive feature.
This sidewalk has a heart.
“There is a heart in this block, and as me and my mom were walking home from school, we saw that there was an ‘R’ on the block that the heart is on,” reads the girl’s note, placed next to where she made a heart-shaped chalk outline around a small cavity in the slab the city has marked with an R to replace.
“You see, the heart is not just a heart,” wrote Dahlia, “Ever since I was little, I said hi to the heart. Don’t you see how much it means to me? Every time I pass the heart, I say hi and it brings me joy.”
Her father confirmed his daughter indeed says “hi, heart” every time she passes it. When she heard the city was going to replace the slab with the heart, Dahlia said she was devastated and cried.
“So can you please leave it or at least cut around the heart, for me to pick up on my way to school,” she wrote, ending her note by thanking the city’s repair crews for their work to keep sidewalks safe and encouraging them to give her note an extra read so it makes sense.
A spokesperson for the city’s public services unit did not have an immediate response on whether the sidewalk slab could be saved or whether the heart-shaped part could be salvaged for Dahlia to take.
While Dahlia really wanted to keep the heart sidewalk, her father said the family understands the need to fix it so people don’t trip and has talked with her about it.
“We compared it to the Halloween pumpkin she really loved and wanted to keep,” he said. “We told her we could keep it, but we could watch how when a pumpkin dies it helps nature by becoming part of something new.”
In that case, they put the pumpkin in their garden and Dahlia visited it every day and watched it decay, and in the spring she watched as flowers sprung up. She got to see her pumpkin again in the form of flowers.
As for her well-crafted sidewalk note, her father said while only 9, Dahlia is an amazing writer and gives him and his wife daily gems of wisdom worthy of the wisest, aged writers.
“sometimes the people who walk softly make the deepest impressions…”
-nitya prakash
—
source credit: ryan stanton, mlive, ann arbor
Oh how sweet. I hope they save the heart part for her. An awesome kid.
LikeLiked by 2 people
She is and I do, too
LikeLiked by 2 people
😍😍😍
LikeLike
I hope she gets her wish, and the kind-hearted crew can keep it for her. Moving post, my friend!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I loved her letter
LikeLiked by 1 person
The quote says it all…that little girl couldn’t have said it better!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes
LikeLike
Such a great story. I hope they lift the paving slab and present it to her to keep at home. This would be a nice ‘feelgood feature’ for a local news channel to cover.
Best wishes, Pete.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I hope so, too and we all could use a bit of good news
LikeLiked by 1 person
Must be something about hearts today 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
I see that –
LikeLiked by 1 person
If only we saw life through the eyes of a child.
LikeLiked by 1 person
the world would certainly be a more peaceful place
LikeLiked by 1 person
WOW! Idealism and activism starts young and gets stronger with age.
LikeLiked by 1 person
that’s right –
LikeLiked by 1 person
If only it stayed strong in everyone, everywhere for eternity.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Amen!
LikeLiked by 2 people
That would be wonderful
LikeLiked by 1 person
very very very very sweet!
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope the city workers acknowledge this heartfelt note in some way, Beth, to provide Dahlia the knowledge that she is heard.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really do , too
LikeLike
What a sweet story! What a loving little girl!
LikeLiked by 1 person
So much so
LikeLiked by 1 person
Life is sweet and full of sidewalks that speak to young people ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, the innocence of the young and a vision of what they choose to wish for. My idea is to cut around the heart, remove it, and then dig a small hole in the ground above or below the new sidewalk and “plant” it there! Such a heartwarming story of a heartwarming little girl!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great idea
LikeLike
An amazingly interesting story from a talented you lady … definitely a writer in the making Beth
“Have the fearless attitude of a hero and the loving heart of a child.” — Soyen Shaku
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh man… what an amazing kid. Sure hope the city does well by her!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
🤞
LikeLike
Lovely post Beth. Touching and beautiful!
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
So sweet. There’s so much going on those innocent little minds that makes so much sense. ❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
She’s brilliant
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree, sweet too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely
LikeLiked by 1 person
Touching and so true.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Indeed
LikeLike
💗💗💗
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
If I were those concrete guys, I’d make sure there’s a heart in the new slab.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great idea. And cut out the other one and give it to her
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yep. Exactly!
LikeLike
Please keep us posted on what happens to Dahlia’s heart!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I certainly will –
LikeLike
What a sweet girl and lovely note.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is so sweet! Her dad sounds like a gem. I’m sure her mom is, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They sound like a very kind fans
LikeLike
Family)
LikeLike
Crossing my fingers that the repair crew sees her note and finds a way to respond.
LikeLike
I love this..reminds me of the story of the little girl writing to the city officials about keeping a unicorn..Now, if only this city crew “has a heart” too! Let us know what happens and we will all be hoping for a “heartfelt” ending to the story, for Dahlia.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, exactly and I hope so, too
LikeLike
Bravo for understanding ANYONE can have a voice!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s right!
LikeLike
Oh, I do hope you’re able to let us know what happens! That child’s plea could move mountains.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I will
LikeLiked by 1 person
This sure sounds like something Steve Hartman could use in his “On the Road” segments. Great story and what a heartfelt young child.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It does and I agree
LikeLike
💖Oh, what a lovely and touching story this is 💖
LikeLiked by 1 person
So sweet
LikeLiked by 1 person
In cursive. 🩷 I love her parents and the pumpkin.
LikeLiked by 1 person
All of it
LikeLiked by 1 person
This touched my heart!
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤️
LikeLike
Nice
Sent from my iPhone
<
div dir=”ltr”>
<
blockquote type=”cite”>
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤️
LikeLike
Dahlia has fab parents!
LikeLiked by 1 person
does she ever
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a precious and talented girl! Oh, I hope they have “heart” and save it for her! ❤️❤️
LikeLiked by 1 person
me too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What an inspiring story. I hope someone at the city has a heart and at least saves this special heart for Dahlia.
LikeLiked by 1 person
me too, read today for an update ❤
LikeLike
she needs to start a SAVE THE HEART SIDEWALK petition and get people/students behind her
LikeLiked by 1 person
she is clearly a well-written passionate activist and I’m sure she could rally some troops. read today for an update
LikeLike
Will do, thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Aww heartwarming! ♥️🌈
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
what a wonderful story’ I hope her plea is accepted’ hope council has a heart 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
same. read today to find out )
LikeLiked by 1 person
Maybe she can get a picture of the heart to travel with her wherever she goes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
good idea, but best if the city listens to her plea. ready an update today
LikeLike
Reblogged this on History of Sorts.
LikeLiked by 1 person
thank you
LikeLike
How lovely!
LikeLiked by 1 person
❤️
LikeLike
Please keep us posted on what the city decides to do. This is such a loving story. Can the MAC PACK write a letter, too? That would be a powerful lesson.
LikeLiked by 1 person
as you see from today’s post, they did the right thing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I did, and a big horray!
LikeLiked by 1 person