A dear friend is going through a hard time with her 93 year old mother. Her mother, suffering from diabetes, dementia, and a host of other things, can no longer be alone and is under Hospice care. My friend confided in me her frustration with people who would call and offer their help but fail to follow through.
In the weeks she spent with her mother (in Idaho), no one stopped by to relieve her of her caregiving duties so that she could attend to other things necessary in tying up the threads of her mother's life. "Just sitting with mother for a few hours would have been such a help," she said on a wistful note.
In telling the story, she passed off her frustation with the words, "Well, everyone is busy."
Everyone IS busy. Everyone has responsibilities to attend to. We all understand that, because we are busy ourselves. When we are too busy, though, to help someone in true need, perhaps it is time to re-evaluate.
This friend is the same woman whom I wrote about a month or so ago who bought a coat for the elderly lady at a thrift shop. She is the first to volunteer to bring a meal or offer a ride to neighbors or church members. She is the first to give of her time and means.
If the situation had been reversed, I know she would be among the first to offer help. She would have showed up to clean bathrooms, prepare a meal, sit with a friend's elderly parent. That is her nature.
So, for today, I am grateful for people like my friend who are never too busy to serve.
What goes around, comes around. . . just not always when we would like it to. Her reward is in heaven, but I'd like to do better about rewarding people here on earth.
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