Awesome examples ... Wonderful friends

Marlene Terry

Had the nicest thing happen over the weekend.

After a long day at hard labor (mowed the lawn), I had just retired to my favorite lounger on the deck, when I heard the doorbell ring.

"Could be the neighbor's doorbell," I rationalized as I sought excuses for not responding.

"Ding dong" once again.

"One of those kids selling gift wrap or something like that" ... the calming thought that provided an all clear signal for me to sigh and recline.

Then came the loud "bang, bang, bang."

What? They're knocking? Couldn't deny that someone was at the door now. And with all the resolve an arrogant, incensed person could muster I made my way through the house  and  threw open the door.

"Hi," sweet and startled friend Marilyn said, obviously taken back by my sudden appearance. "I was just thinking about you today, and thought you'd enjoy these." She presented me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers."

Needless to say I was speechless as I quickly dismounted my 'high horse' and accepted the gift with a much subdued "Thank-you" and a hug.

Took only a few moments for me to notice that even with Marilyn's bright smile and twinkling eyes, the effects of radiation therapy she was undergoing for breast cancer on top of a recent major surgery had taken its toll.

Why is it, do you think, that those with the hardest life challenges always seem to be the those who reach out to others and give and lift the most?

Alania, a widow and caring for a handicapped son, also deals with post-polio syndrome. I called her not too long ago, after I heard she'd taken a nasty fall and was "pretty bruised up."

After I inquired about what had happened, there was a brief pause in the conversation, and then it came.

"Well," she said. "I was in the kitchen practicing my break-dancing routine, and the next thing I knew, I was on the floor."

Can't remember any other comments concerning her injuries, how she was coping with less mobility or even if she was in need of help ... just plenty of laughter and fun.

And then there's Robbie, paralyzed and confined to a wheel chair. No kindness anyone ever shows her is forgotten, but promptly repaid with a plate of cookies, a card of thanks or something like what my hubby received after he made an emergency repair to her sprinkling system. Robbie's caregiver delivered it, a package of lifesavers, with an attached note saying "This is exactly what you are."

I think the most noticeable trait about Robbie is her unfaltering faith. Despite her everyday hurdles, she firmly believes that the Lord is watching over her and He will provide. You can also believe me when I say that unless something traumatic happens in her life, she never, ever misses church!

The memory of it always brings a smile, the cold, icy day we arrived at church just in time to see the sliding door of Robbie's big van open and her in her wheelchair descending on the lift to the parking lot.

We caught up to her as she, in front of a group of churchgoers who were respectfully waiting for her to make the journey, was proceeding slowly up the incline to the church doors.

"No speeding now Robbie," I said trying to lighten up a difficult situation.

"At least not on Sunday and in front of the church," she responded with a wink.

... Awesome examples. Wonderful friends!

♦Hope you'll let me share your stories and photos here at my new residence "In a Nutshell." Email me at nutshellstories@gmail.com.