The first thing I was greeted with following my visit to the ER that Friday, was a colorful collection of handmade cards from our girls. They'd done the only things they knew would help while we were gone - they prayed, colored, glued, and glittered. Very effective acts in the face of tragedy.
Then, on Sunday afternoon, four sweet friends came bearing beautiful flowers for us to enjoy, and delicious muffins for the girls' breakfasts for the week. I was touched to tears! Friends are truly a blessing from God.
The Thursday morning following their visit, was our scheduled day for our Meals On Wheels route. This is a community service provided through our local Christian Ministries, to provide free or low-cost meals to elderly shut-ins in our area. The meals are delivered by volunteers, and organized by Ms. Joanne, an employ of the ministry. She, however, would rather have her toenails removed than to receive compensation for her services. She is such a humble servant, with a contagious love for others.
Before we left out on our route, the girls worked their artistic magic on some happy, springtime pictures to share. Seeing our little ones reach out to senior adults, makes this mama very proud. I'm proud that they're not afraid of our older friends, proud to see them engaging in meaningful conversation with them, and proud that they recognize the importance of reaching out to others, who can't get out themselves. We've sure been blessed with some sweet girls, I'll have to say.
We recently lost our first elderly friend, Ms. Helen. My girls still remind me that we never did get to take Ms. Helen down to her pier to fish. They're right. We're all full of good intentions, and sometimes it stings our hearts when a loved one's time with us is over, and our opportunity is gone. I know Ms. Helen understood though. She was sweet like that.
Wondering what it was that I could take along to give to our seniors, I saw the beautiful bouquet from my friends. I knew my shut-in friends were sure to enjoy some bottled sunshine on that rainy day. So, out came more of our saved Starbucks bottles to serve as vases. And in a few minutes, five mini bouquets were born.
Since Brad was able to take the week off to be with me, he became our Designated Driver for delivering the meals. And so we set off, with a cooler full of chicken dinners, a box of bouquets, my throbbing leg thrown up on the dash, and our three girls in the back with their works of art in hand. Our venture to spread some love (and fill some tummies) had begun!
Let me just say here, that I am blessed with a great husband, who knew how important it was not to reschedule because of my injury. Our sweet friends look forward to our visit, and so do we. We're not required to take anything to share, and our only commitment is to deliver a hot meal. If I had to remain propped up in a bed instead, only to watch as my flowers wilted, I would've felt terribly guilty that I'd kept their beauty for myself. He knew all of this, and he knows me all too well. "In sickness and in health," means more to me now than ever. Here he is getting ready to do dishes before we left, so that I didn't have to stand in one spot with weight on my leg. I just love this sweet, humble, rarely ornery, man of mine.
All of this confirms to me again, the importance of following through with the nudges of our hearts. When we do, we get to see the Lord work even the smallest gesture full circle, with even greater impact than we anticipated. I'm glad I followed through that day, and will make a better effort from now on. It sure felt good to pay love forward :)
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