God’s Working in People’s LivesJ

James Parnell.com

            Today, my visitation partner and I did our bi-weekly trip to see the shut-ins we visit. We see a lady at the assisted living facility near my home. Also, we try to see a gentleman in a memory unit of a retirement home a bit to the south of our first stop. Then we went to one of the nursing homes. This is the one where I was for right at three months.

The lady at the assisted living is a quilter. She had pictures of items she has made over the years. Quilts, wall hangings, a jacket that won a prize at a quilt guild show. I have seen her wear that jacket. She has stories about her family she shares with us about the quilts, the names of the designs, how she made them. She made one from a long dress she got in Hawaii. She has written on the back of that picture that she wants that on her casket when she goes to be with Jesus.

The gentleman at the memory unit was not having a good day. The lady who let us into the building remembered us and knew who we were there to see.  He was still in bed. My partner popped her head in and told him we just stopped by for a second. We really didn’t stay but about a minute.

When we go to the nursing home, I try to always stop by the therapy gym to smile and say hi to the ones who are working. We went to the room of the first lady we always see. She and her roommate are always glad to see us. The roommate has a tie to our church as well. This roommate showed us a gift she received for Mother’s Day. A crocheted lap blanket. The card attached to it said it was from the staff of the facility.

Suddenly, the activity director comes into the room to let me know I just missed her daughter-in-law. This daughter-in-law helped me when I fell and broke my ankle. Back then her mother-in-law couldn’t get over how I came to the facility she worked at.  Today, we asked her about the ‘blankets’, did someone make them. She told us the following story.

Her budget had been cut because the census was down. She didn’t know what she was supposed to do for Mother’s Day gifts to the mothers. She received a phone call from a woman who was new in town. “Do you have need of gifts for the mothers at your facility? I was wondering if they would like lap blankets. How many would you need?” The activity director told her 25, she made 30. Each of the blankets came with a ribbon and a bow on them.

This woman, new to our state and our town, made a random phone call to a nursing home that she had not been in and blessed the activity director and each of the 25 or so mothers in that facility. I don’t know this benefactor’s name but I do give praise for her. I’m certain there is a place in heaven for this lady.