5/13/2014

Tuesdays at the Nursing Home- Keeping it Together


The man with no legs keeps a pink pan by his side in the narrow hospital bed. It contains what's left of his life- a church leaflet with his name listed as a member to pray for, a paperback romance someone left behind, three, small yellow legal pads filled with illegible notes he's made about his day-to-day life and two rolls of Scotch tape.

"What's the tape for?" I ask.

He doesn't miss a beat. His eyes twinkle as he says, "That's how I keep it all together!"

When I chuckle and say "Yeah, sure," he shrugs, smiling as if I've seen through him and he's conceding defeat.

"Or maybe," he says, "I use it to patch my broken heart."





1 comment:

Hugh said...

Mom passed away in March and dad crashed and burned over it but is finally coming around to being functional again.

The entire family is rallying to see to it that he stays in his home as long as it is medically possible.

He's in good shape for an old timer so we are hoping for him to have a few more years to discover things about life that he was sheltered from during 65 years of marriage (mom did everything).

It's quite the wonder to see him reveal in a realization about life and society that most anyone would take for granted knowledge.

I'm truly thankful for kindness and consideration the Hospice workers provide.

People with compassionate hearts caring for others is about as selfless a profession that there is.