A picture post to confirm a friend’s assessment: ‘Your life is rich’
“Evelyn, you have so many visitors!” Our Monday-afternoon caregiver made the comment when she realized we’d just said good-bye to someone who had stopped by to see us that morning.
She’s right. As I mentioned to two couples who brought us brunch Saturday morning, “One of the key therapies for Alzheimer’s is social contact. We nail that one!”
Actually, I think getting together with others may help me more than Evelyn, even though she usually warms to each new guest at our door or other interaction with a pal.
Getting together with others may help me more than Evelyn.
I think about a comment a friend made at the end of a letter she wrote me not long ago. “Remember, Mark, your life is very rich,” she said. I try not to forget, especially when I’m tempted to concentrate on losses more than blessings. So I decided this week to post a picture album of some of our blessings from just the past week.
Thursday we met Evelyn’s brother and his wife at the beautiful home of one of her cousins and his wife outside Owensville, Ohio. We had planned a picnic at a spot closer to Evelyn’s brother who drove from Kentucky to be with us. But with a heat index forecasted to top 100 degrees, Evelyn’s cousin offered to host us in air conditioning. We were all glad!
Susan and Ken Aulen (Evelyn’s brother); her cousin Steve Hill and his wife, Susan; Evelyn and me sporting our best smiles.
We combined our potluck picnic dishes at their dining table and had a delightful meal. Later we adjourned to their large, covered patio, and the breeze kept us cool enough to enjoy the afternoon and watch a passing shower. I had anticipated that we’d need to leave after a couple of hours, but we stayed more than twice that long. The laughter, the shared family stories, and the peaceful setting made our visit the highlight of the week.
But that wasn’t all. One of Evelyn’s good friends came Friday morning, as always, so I could volunteer at The Healing Center in Cincinnati. That afternoon, also as usual, Evelyn got her hair washed and set by Scott Hickey, one of the kindest men I know. We see him every week, and this time I asked him to pose with Evelyn.
Saturday, as I mentioned, we hosted brunch for Terry and Shirley Wuske and Paul and Sev Friskney, which for me involved nothing more than setting the table and making sure the bathroom was clean. They brought all the wonderful food, including warm cinnamon rolls made from scratch by Paul.
Sunday was church, meaningful worship accompanied by the usual warm and encouraging interaction with friends.
Sunday afternoon I spoke briefly with our son on the phone about an upcoming visit, and Wendy Wagoner, our “Velcro” daughter (one of Evelyn’s former students who has lived with us off and on and was integrated into our family in years past) Facetimed with us. I grabbed a screen shot while we visited.
Then Monday morning Phyllis Girdwood stopped by for an hour. It was so good to catch up with her, one of Evelyn’s college apartment mates who later was one of my work colleagues. It was a beautiful morning for coffee on our deck. (Read Phyllis’s Shared Story here.)
All this in one week! Rich, indeed!
In between all these sterling moments, I had several that were anything but shiny. Frustration, boredom, unpleasant tasks—I’ve written about some of these before. Good times don’t erase the disappointment or confusion of bad times.
But as I said last week, I’m trying to “keep it real.” And the reality for me, in spite of the negatives, is that my friend is right. My life is very rich. And this post of pictures from just one week helps me remember that.