This one is from my sister, whom I love dearly.
She is a Christian and a great example of what a Godly woman looks like.
Friday night I went to see one of my clients in the nursing home. Let me tell you a little about him...he has cerebral palsy. He 's pretty much a quadrapalegic...can move his hands and arms but they are of no use to him because he has no fine motor skills. He's brilliant. He has a degree in Theology and in Physiology. He does speaking engagements at churches and schools talking to kids and anyone who will listen about what Jesus has done in his life and how they can overcome anything and can do anything they put their minds to. His mind is so sharp. His speech is slurred. People treat him differently...like he is "less than" because they don't take the time to listen to him and to know what's inside...all they see is the body and the fact that he is served by a company who works with the developmentally disabled. He has told me that he sees how people look at him differently and treat him differently...and that breaks my heart. His body is weak...he's on lots of pain meds for muscle spasms...he is sometimes in bed all day every day except to get a shower from his staff or to go to the bathroom. Because of being in bed so much, pneumonia is easy to catch. Two weeks ago he went to the hospital with pneumonia. A few days later he was released to the nursing home for respiratory rehab.
The first day I went to see him was last Wednesday. He was doing well and asked me for 5 changes of clothes and some other things from his apartment. He told me how horribly he was being treated and begged me to get him out of there. I cried. It broke my heart. I promised him I would talk to the nurses and make sure he got what he needed and I would bring what he needed on Friday. And I kept my word. So I went back Friday. And he was asleep...and on oxygen. Not good. I didn't wake him, but left the things he had asked for, touched him, and left. Today I told my coworkers that I didn't think he would make it out of there, and I made another trip out on my way home to check on him....thinking that I would bring some light into his day today by showing up there and making him smile because he had a visitor. But he made me think again...
I got there and he was laying in the dark...awake...without oxygen. He smiled when I came in and thanked me for coming. I think he knew that I was tearing up even though it was dark in there...he was telling me how much he hated the place...and then he saw me crying and started telling me how good the therapy was there...and how he was tough and he had lived a long, good life...and he wasn't done yet...not until he had done everything that God had meant for Him to do...and he hadn't done it all yet. There is so much to do. He said he couldn't just lay there and die. He had to fight. Because if he just laid there and died on purpose and let go...he would be letting down all those people that he had spoken to and told they could do anything they put their mind to. He admitted he wanted to go home to God...but that he was willing to live for others.
Wow. My heart got stuck in my throat and I just looked at this broken man with a brilliant mind and a heart of gold. And my heart was lifted up...my spirit was strengthened...and God spoke to my heart that this trip to the nursing home to lift a client's spirits was really meant for me. How humbling. And how SO like God.
The first day I went to see him was last Wednesday. He was doing well and asked me for 5 changes of clothes and some other things from his apartment. He told me how horribly he was being treated and begged me to get him out of there. I cried. It broke my heart. I promised him I would talk to the nurses and make sure he got what he needed and I would bring what he needed on Friday. And I kept my word. So I went back Friday. And he was asleep...and on oxygen. Not good. I didn't wake him, but left the things he had asked for, touched him, and left. Today I told my coworkers that I didn't think he would make it out of there, and I made another trip out on my way home to check on him....thinking that I would bring some light into his day today by showing up there and making him smile because he had a visitor. But he made me think again...
I got there and he was laying in the dark...awake...without oxygen. He smiled when I came in and thanked me for coming. I think he knew that I was tearing up even though it was dark in there...he was telling me how much he hated the place...and then he saw me crying and started telling me how good the therapy was there...and how he was tough and he had lived a long, good life...and he wasn't done yet...not until he had done everything that God had meant for Him to do...and he hadn't done it all yet. There is so much to do. He said he couldn't just lay there and die. He had to fight. Because if he just laid there and died on purpose and let go...he would be letting down all those people that he had spoken to and told they could do anything they put their mind to. He admitted he wanted to go home to God...but that he was willing to live for others.
Wow. My heart got stuck in my throat and I just looked at this broken man with a brilliant mind and a heart of gold. And my heart was lifted up...my spirit was strengthened...and God spoke to my heart that this trip to the nursing home to lift a client's spirits was really meant for me. How humbling. And how SO like God.
