Recently I received a call to notarize for a elderly women. The women had a very thick Austrian accent and appeared to be very sweet on the phone. I happened to be very close by and offered my notary services promptly. She happily agreed and off I went to notarize.
When I got to her assisted living center she said that she needed me to notarize a form stating that she was alive. She even cracked a joke asking me if she was alive. I thought this is going to be interesting! I looked at the form that was being issued from the Austrian government. She was correct that she need to have a notary acknowledgement and the type of form was pertaining to her being alive.
I verified her identification and notarized for her providing her with a California Acknowledgement. Just as I was getting ready to leave we started talking. I was very curious about this sweet lady and why did she need a notary for this type of form?
She then began to tell me her story. She so wanted someone to talk to! She was born in Austria right before World War 2. Her family was Jewish and they foresaw that their lives would be in danger as Hitler started to invade countries and murder innocent people. Her parents sent her off to the United States of America as a little girl to come live with distant relatives. Her other brothers and sisters were sent to other areas. Her parents hid and later reunited with her in the USA. One of her brothers was killed by the Nazis. Her father’s entire family was by the Nazis as well.
This lady was SO FULL OF LIFE AND HAPPINESS! Even as she told me her life story. She laughed and smiled more than most people I know and meet. I had such admiration for her. I just sat and listened as she talked. She later explained that the Austrian government sends her money because she is considered to be a displaced person due to the circumstances during the war. We talked for quite sometime.
When I left I hugged her goodbye. I realized that she had an attitude and outlook towards life that I needed to adapt. She always found the good things in any situation in her life and she always smiled and found something to laugh about! I also realized that my job is not about the type of notarization or the paperwork. It is about the person and behind every notary there is a story.