Thanksliving

I could hear him screaming.  I had hoped it was not him.  But when I walked up to his room there was no denying it.

“Grandpa, it’s OK…Grandpa, it’s me, Chad…your Grandson...”

He swung at me at first.  I grabbed his hand.

“Grandpa, it’s OK…I love you.  It’s me.”

He started to cry.  His mind was confused and he was often afraid in the nursing home. I held his hand.

“How about we get you shaved?” 

Out of the bed.  Into the wheelchair.  He loved to be shaved.  My Grandpa was always clean cut and well-kept.  He never had much money, but he certainly had class and style. 

“How about we take a walk down the hall and see what’s happening around here?” 

“Ok…if you want…” He’d say.

We would go to the common area and I would talk and hope that may be he would have at least something of a conversation.  But after a while, I’d quit trying and we’d just sit.  It seemed like that was enough for him at that point—just to have someone there that he knew he should know. 

While we would sit there I would notice another man.  I would notice that he never had anyone visiting him.  I asked about him.  I learned that it was true.  No one ever came to visit him.  I learned that he was not alone.  There were others who were at their end and all alone.  The only visitors they had were those the nursing home paid to visit them in order to meet the states requirement. 

You might ask, “Why such a depressing post the week of Thanksgiving?!”  I guess it is only depressing if thanksgiving is all about eating a meal and sharing with family that for which you are thankful.  In that case, this is depressing.  But if thanksgiving is about THANKSLIVING, then this post is very encouraging! It serves as fodder for the Holy Spirit to inspire you and me to find someone this week who feels alone and forgotten.  It gives us permission to walk down the hallway and remind someone who feels like no one cares that Jesus cares and so do we.  It serves as a catalyst for remembering that God gives us the opportunity every day to become his reason that some else can say, “Thank you, God!” This story is just one example of 100’s we walk past every day who are in desperate need for you and me to live out our thanks so that they can again find reason to give thanks!

More specifically, this story reminds me of why the all-church Christmas party this year is so important.  This year, instead of focusing on entertaining ourselves, we will focus on visiting all of the shut-ins of our church family.  Just imagine what kind of thanks may be lifted up to God if all of us together said we will set aside an extra hour on Sunday, December 7, just to let someone know they are not forgotten?