A very different Christmas I rarely put anything personal on my Facebook, but I made a resolution to try to share some interesting things this year. Although it has taken me a month to get to this story, here goes.... I made a decision to leave Kevin and Nate at home in Grand Ledge and travel to Naperville, IL to spend the holiday with my mother in the rehab hospital where she had been for about six weeks. My sister, who is the primary caregiver now, was sick with tonsillitis and did not need to be running back and forth to help with Mom. Since I no longer drive due to health issues, a dear friend, who is like a daughter to us, drove me to the Chicago suburbs on a snowy day shortly before Christmas. I stayed in a Marriott motel where we have stayed when visiting family for the last ten or more years. This past summer, I spent five weeks there while Mom was in a different rehab facility. During that time, I had gotten to know some of the friendly staff at the Marriott Courtyard, so I felt safe staying there alone. I generally stayed at the hospital from 9 AM to 9 PM. The motel has a shuttle service that took me to the rehab every morning, and one of my two sisters usually picked me up and took me back to the motel in the evening. On Christmas Eve, however, neither of the sisters was available, so I had to call a cab. I have to confess that I dont like big city taxi cabs. Too often they are too dirty and the drivers too reckless for my taste. But this one arrived promptly at 9:00 PM, was a clean, late-model vehicle, with a pleasant and chatty driver. The driver asked what the facility was and why I had been there. When I mentioned my mother, he promptly offered to share a saying from his country about caring for ones mother. I told him to go ahead, and this is what he said: To care for your mother is equal to the prayers of a thousand hours, because her feet are on the pathway to heaven, and if you care for her, youll follow her there. I confess I had been feeling rather morose about spending Christmas Eve alone in a motel after eating a cold cheese sandwich at a nursing home. I know it was self-indulgent to feel that way, but I did. But the drivers words were very uplifting, and reminded me that the purpose of the journey had been to spend time with and comfort my 92 year old mother, not to enjoy a regular holiday season. I thanked the taxi driver for his kind words and headed into the motel. When I opened the door to my room, I saw a gift bag on the bed. I wondered who had brought it and how they had gotten into my room. The bag held items for sale in the motel snack bar - a bottle of water, a candy bar, a pack of gum, and a small Christmas card. The morning staff at the motel had written me a kind note and included a coupon for free breakfast on Christmas morning. Coupled with the taxi drivers words, their kind gesture was the nicest tangible gift I could have had. I stayed on at the motel for a total of nine days. I did not have a firm plan for getting home to Michigan because Nate was sick with the flu and Kevin not really feeling up to the drive. As Kevin and I talked over what to do, an old friend we hadnt seen in a long time called to say she was going to be in Chicago for a week and hoped to connect with us. Kevin gave her the short version of what was going on, and she told him she was more than happy to pick me up in Naperville and meet him half way back to Grand Ledge. She was on a pay it forward mission because some friends had done a great deal for her when her mother was in similar circumstances. Knowing of my health issues, she had chosen me to be the recipient of her pay it forward effort. In the years I worked at the shelter, I had occasion to see some pretty magical things happen at Christmas time. But I guess I never expected the Lord to cast angels in MY path, because I have had a very blessed life and many kind friends who have been there for me during the challenges of the last few years. But I guess I must confess that the kindness of others turned 2014 into a pretty magical Christmas for me, one that I will not soon forget. And I guess I had better start looking for a pay it forward recipient. myself...................
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 03:57:35 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015