While our dog Aspen is thwapping her tail on the kitchen floor for some reason, I will tell about what was supposed to happen at Christmas time but finally happened today!
I had scheduled with the White River Care Center to bring boxes of donated brand new sweaters, homemade lap robes, and fuzzy stuffed animals to share around at Christmas time, mostly collected by my sister-in-law Anita with Lifeline Gifts. Instead, the nursing home shut down for weeks because of a covid outbreak. No one was allowed to visit, and the poor residents were basically kept in their rooms for weeks at a time. Every time my daughter Crystal went inside to pick up her dialysis patients to drive them to Rosebud or to pick up nurses to take home after shift, she had to wear not just a regular face mask but an N-95 mask.
So I waited and waited. Finally the care center opened up for visitors again, and today Hannah and I took four boxes.
"Help us, Lord!" I breathed out loud as we arrived, since I didn't know quite how to distribute the articles or how it would go over, or even if I would be allowed to do so today.
But sure enough, the activities director met me right away and welcomed me to go in with our donations. Most of the residents were already in the dining hall for a time of coffee and exercises.
(I am impressed with this care center and the way they care for the patients, constantly having activities, exercises, and so on for them.)
They had me lay out items on a big table and the residents came up, mostly in wheel chairs, to choose something. One man chose the biggest, fluffiest, long-eared bunny and was so tickled for it, especially when he discovered a fuzzy white blanket that matched it! He took that, too!
Most of the ladies received a top of some sort, along with a lap robe and fuzzy animal of their choice, with this particular lady (above) ending up being the only lady large enough for several of the very large tops! She seemed quite happy for them! She was willing for me to get a picture with her. A nurse helped by writing her name on the tags in them in permanent marker so the items could remain in her possession. This is one of the ladies I usually visit and have prayed with. The last time I was going to pray, she asked me to "sit close." So I think we are becoming friends!
On one of my better days in between chemo, it was a joy to share God's love in this way today.
No comments:
Post a Comment