Bright and Shiny People

Life has been a little rocky for my family the last few months. As some of you know, my dad had surgery at the beginning of February to remove a tumor from his brain. It went very well and his recovery was well underway when suddenly there was a bump in the road that set him back. Mentally he's good, thank you, God. But physically he is very weak and has a long recovery road ahead of him. Things were very scary for a few weeks, and I'm still not able to relax at all. It may be a long time yet before I can. But this week so far has been fairly smooth. Infinitesimally small signs of progress.

It been a very hard couple of months, and I've had some tough days. One particularly bad one when I just sort of lost it. But even through the bad days and the exhaustion there have been some bright moments. Actually there have been some wonderful people who made the moments bright. And this is my little homage to them, in no particular order.

To the friends who listened and delivered hugs and distraction and were just generally there when I needed someone to just, well, listen and be there. That is not a little thing, let me tell you. If someone out there that you know is going through a tough time, and maybe you feel helpless to be of practical assistance, please don't hesitate to LISTEN. You don't have to fix things for them if you can't. The therapeutic value of a good listener is beyond price.

To the social worker at the VA who will always be in my family's prayers. She did her job and beyond. She was a guiding light in our time of trouble. You tend to only hear the negative about certain professions and I certainly didn't know much about this one before. I can tell you now that there are really really GOOD people in that profession. How they manage to keep from burning out is beyond me.

To my coworkers, bosses and supervisors who took a huge weight from my shoulders. You trusted me to be there and to do my job well when I could. And when I had to be elsewhere you understood. Not by one word, deed, thought or implication did I ever feel pressured. This whole thing would have been unbearable if I had had to choose. I didn't.

To the folks who have come into our home for nursing and therapy. Yeah, its your job. But you do it well and with compassion. You do it with understanding too, helping us find ways to make this work. And you did so with so little fuss that it felt almost seamless.

To the family members who took time to help us meet appointments, make things safer in the home, gave us a needed break from responsibility now and then, or just called to say that we were all in your thoughts and prayers ... we are blessed to have you in our lives.

To the guy who fixed that dent in my car and while he was at it fixed the squealing in my brakes without even saying anything ... yes I noticed, and yes it was appreciated. A moment of your time, maybe; but another small weight from my shoulders.

To the squirrel guys who walked into more than they expected when they came to deal with our little problem in the attic. You not only showed up when we needed you, you acted with grace and compassion. You'll get paid in cash for the job you came for; you'll get paid in memories and prayers for the rest.

To Kelly, my cat, who put up with benign neglect while everything was going on, things you didn't understand. And even though you HATE change and upheaval, you have stayed sweet and affectionate.

There are so many more people who did little things, things so small that they've probably forgotten about them. But those small things, person by person, action by action, have added up. Truly there are angels, and they walk amongst us.