Strength in numbers

 

I am sure that you have received one of those emails from a friend, “angels are looking over your shoulder” pass this on to 12 friends in the next 37 seconds..  I have always found them rather annoying, glitzy, shiny, and the flashing screen makes me hit the delete button right away.

But the other day I realized that there is more than a shred of truth to them.  I saw it in action myself.

I had a bag of canned cat food that Bootsies tender tummy couldn’t take, and it was too good to dispose of.  I decided to knock on a neighbors door to see if her cats would like to indulge themselves.

We live in a condo with a previously older set of owners, gradually giving way to younger. Scooter, as I will call her, was a Navy Chaplain, and is 88 magical years young, she is still wonderfully intact, both in memory, and wits. Her family all lives on the other side of the country, she has few compatriots left now.

As I knocked on her door, to ask if she wanted the cat food, she slowly and painfully made her way to let me in, and told me that she was just home from the hospital.  The pain from her sciatica made it nearly impossible for her to get around, and although she did have home care coming in for personal aid, and food delivered weekly it was the small things that she needed help with.  In passing, she mentioned that she was unable to sleep in her bed, because the mattress was too uncomfortable, and currently was sleeping in her recliner chair. 

After getting a list of what was needed, I headed out her door, into the lobby to find some more people to add to her support team.  The first person I ran into, told me that there was a perfectly good hospital bed, ready to go to the first taker.  Great and he could help my husband move it upstairs for her later that day.

Not ten feet later, I ran into two other women that live in the building, “I have someone that needs our help” I told them.  I introduced them to Scooter, and told them what was needed, they wholeheartedly agreed.  I then found another 3 people to join the Scooter team, and she now has a wide circle of friends that can check up on her, run errands, or just be there for her.

It amazes me how helpful, and kind people are.  Many of them said, that they hoped they would never be in that same position.

And while I hope that I am never either, if I am I just hope that someone can help me out, like we could help her out.

I believe, because there is strength in numbers, and there were definitely angels looking over her shoulder that day.

Jen