The Visit

Dan Rundell died four years ago. He was very old and left many descendants. He also left a widow named Louise, who  is the lady spoken about in the entry below,  which I wrote on February 10, 2006. I saw so much of my folks in this couple. Louise identified  with my father and sent him cards constantly before he died........ because, she knew.

Virginia died a week ago. She lived in the next wing from me in the apartments. Virginia was an Alzheimer's sufferer as is her husband, Joe. A nurse stayed with them for a large part of the day. Late one night, Virginia knocked on my door. She'd wandered out of her apartment and couldn't find her way back, even though the distance could be walked in thirty seconds. A neighbor told me she wasn't sure if Joe realized his wife had passed away. I leave for school at 4:15 am on Monday-Wednesday-Friday and I always see their light on. What do you do that early? I wondered if it would change now that Virginia was gone. It didn't- I saw the light this morning as I walked to my car.

We took a field trip today in my second period Bible class. Actually, half of us went- I only took the girls. We drove two blocks to the home of a couple and stayed just twenty minutes but it was the highlight of my day. The woman is eighty-three with heart problems. Her husband is ninety-one and has Alzheimer's. She is the primary caregiver for her husband of sixty-four years. I made contact with this lady several weeks ago through our Monday Night For the Master program. Each Monday, members of our church come together for supper, fellowship and work. We visit the sick, call those who have been missing, do special projects around the building, and write postcards. I'm on card detail. We are assigned to write a short message to visitors, the ill, the grieving, as well as thanks for those who have performed special work in the kingdom. This particular night my list included the name of a woman in our church I did not know, the woman we visited this morning. The sister in charge of cards told me about her background. In my note, I told her I understood as our family faces the same crisis with Mom. The family caregiver for Alzheimer's victims focus on their loved one totally, often to their own detriment. It was nothing unusual, just a note from one Christian to another.

By the end of the week, I received a beautiful reply in the mail. She went on and on about how much the card meant. I was supposed to be helping but I was the one overwhelmed. A few days later, I told my five classes about her situation. The kids wrote letters to the woman and decorated them. This past Sunday, I met the woman and her husband at worship services. I told her about my students' letters and asked if we could deliver them in person. In an almost too good to be true scenario, they live only three minutes away from school. It was an amazing visit. The lady was so gracious and she bonded with the girls immediately. She had made lemonade and cookies and we looked around her immaculate home. Her husband wandered in and out- she calls it 'roaming.' We took pictures and prayed. She was emotional as the girls presented the one hundred letters, stuffed in a hand-colored envelope. As we left, she kissed each girl and promised each a letter in the mail. That was it. It was nothing earth shattering but to that beautiful lady, there was renewed hope that others care for her and her plight. I wanted my girls to see what love is, the 'for better or for worse' part. They saw it up close and in real life. It was a win-win-win day. The lady won, my girls won, and ultimately, the Lord won.

Applicable quote of the day:
"God sends burdens, and shoulders, too."
Isaac Bashevis Singer

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
http://www.hawleybooks.com/
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com