Unexpected Gratitude

Because of a scheduling snafu last night, I found myself wandering aimlessly about in Mabank. I had some extra time to kill, and it seemed my car practically steered itself into the parking lot at the nursing home.

Hmmm, 7:30pm – is that too late to drop in and visit? The sign posted that visiting hours would end at 8pm, but I wondered if 7:30 would still be too late. But I felt compelled, I needed to go in.

I ventured in, meandering down the hallway towards Ma Felker’s room. Ma is a lovely little lady from church who has assumed the name of “Ma” for many of the folks in her life. A couple of weeks ago, she decided that it was time to move into the nursing home, as they could better care for her than her family. I admire her strength in making that difficult decision without burdening her family.

The walk down the hallway is always interesting. I passed several residents calling various greetings to me. And I do mean various! They always call out from their room, and I’m reminded that some of these people don’t have visitors like Ma Felker or our sweet Margaret Templin.

Ma was still awake, waiting on her evening medicine to be brought to her. Her pain was great, resulting from a fractured spine. But her countenance was brimming with gratitude. How can that be? She began counting her blessings as I sat there with her, listing the ways to me that she is grateful.

Her tiny little room seemed sparse to me. The little bit of space carved out in this nursing institution is so different from where she moved from. I looked around the room for personal effects. A vase with two roses, beginning to wither. Eye glasses and a hearing aid case. Her Bible - that faithful companion for what looked to be years. And that was all I saw.

My mind wandered to all the things she left behind. The little knick-knacks that make up a home, the pictures and furniture and household items that becomes the landscape of our life. What was it like for her to walk through her home one last time, knowing it might be her last? Did she take it all in, caressing with her eyes those items that she may never see again? Pieces of her life that hold memories of all the years past, these tokens of life lived and shared, did they evoke memories of both pain and joy?

And the item she carried out with her… Her Bible. Heading out into a new phase of life clutching the one thing that has sustained her through the years. Her Bible.

The squeeze on my hand brought me back to the present. I was the one with the wandering mind, not Ma. She was very much in the here and now – calling me out of my reverie to thank me for coming. She asked about Rick and the boys, commenting on how handsome they all are.

I told her we miss getting our hugs from her at church, seeing her in that pretty pink suit she wears. I promised to be back soon.

And as I walked away, I felt encouraged. How does that always happen? I go to encourage someone else, and I end up getting the better end of the deal!

I hope that I grow into a woman like Ma Felker. I hope I can count my blessings, no matter what the circumstance.