Tender Loving Care...

 

 

Holding on to anger, resentment and hurt only gives you tense muscles,
a headache and a sore jaw from clenching your teeth.
 Joan Lunden

 

The past couple of weeks have been full of some really bad stuff...in Delaware for starters (demonstrations spread to Seattle & New York).  Anger, hatred, sorrow, arson, theft...emotions were running hot with riots and protests were rampant.  It has been such a hot mess and yet, in the aftermath, people  voluntarily stepped in to physically clean all they could.  But the mental stress lives on...like a powder keg ready to explode at any provocation.  Headaches!

 

It's difficult not to be judgmental...emotions go off the charts, people are hurt...thankfully I've not been in circumstances like those mentioned above!

 

And of course we've the "armchair quarterbacks"...almost everyone has the answer to how things should've been handled.  Hey, what do we know???

 

                                                   

I've had a comparatively easy life; many have not...let's face it, there's an abundance of 'hard row's to hoe out there'. 

 

For a period of ten years Michael was Director of a school/hospital for children w/cerebral palsy and spina bifida.  It provided a respite for the parents and families of those children; lots of wonderful things were accomplished and it gives one a look at special individuals...caregivers!

 

A long time friend of ours recently relocated to a city not far from here; she and her husband needed to be near family due to health problems.  Her husband has a most serious form of dementia; she's his caregiver.  This week she wrote something that touched me deeply; I asked her permission to write about it, she thought it was a good idea; so here it is as she wrote it.

Random acts of kindness. How a complete stranger can make your day better. Yesterday afternoon about 2 I took my husband out for a late lunch of burger and fries. I have to help him walk and get in his seat (which was a booth this time) and as we walked in it was freezing in there. I got him in his seat and went back to the car and got him a jacket. I put it on him and he wanted it zipped so I zipped it for him. Then I ordered our food and sat with him while we waited for it. When the food came I got his ready for him to eat and put it in front of him. I finished my food and was just sitting there waiting for him to eat (he eats very, very slowly) when the person in the booth next to us got up to leave. He came to me and said "I want to give you my card and thank you for the way you take care of your husband". 

 My heart melted and I fought back tears. This was a nice looking young man that obviously had a very caring heart. What he didn't know was that the night before had been a very difficult one and I had probably had 2-3 hours of sleep. I do believe God placed him there for me and somehow I had more spring in my step and less tiredness in my bones. 

This man, who is a realtor-broker, will be getting a card from me expressing my undying gratitude and I will be asking God to bless him and his kind ways.

Such a nice thing to brighten some one's day...someone who needed it.  It's like "if you could read my mind, you'd be in tears."  There are countless individuals who spend most all their waking hours (which are more than plenty...sleep can be very elusive for them) tenderly caring for others.  Talk about deserving stars in their crowns...awesome!

 

"Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly,

and most underrated agent of human change."

Bob Kerrey

I've been given something to really think and pray about...and it's going to the top of my list.

May God bless each of you wonderful caregivers...you are most awesome!

From my heart...to yours,
Vasca