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COLUMNS
Thank God for all our angels in the flesh
May 20, 2010 | The Catholic Sun
The old saying “count your blessings” sure is repeated a lot, but how often do we attach it to the greatest blessings of all — people — the ones God sends our way when times are tough? They make anything possible.
To remind you all of that, here’s an update on my mom and a little gift from her, too.
For all of you loyal readers out there who lived the saga of my mother’s stroke alongside with me last year, you might remember how difficult the journey was. But you also read about all the amazing growth it brought to my mother and the rest of my family.
Yet back then in the thick of the struggle I really never had the chance to thank all of the people who made such a difference, and neither did my mom.
From the doctors who went the extra mile, to the occupational therapist friend and rehab people who wouldn’t give up on her, to the friends who all gathered to fix up her house before she returned home from the hospital. Then there was the old family friend who agreed to move in with her for six months until she was independent.
There are the scores of aides and relief workers who still visit every week bringing her food, medical supplies and an important pick-me-up. And there is the incredibly inspiring nurse from the local parish who never fails to visit on Sunday like clockwork to bring her Communion and a healthy heaping of friendship.
There are all of my friends who bent over backwards — from the lawyer who helped her with an avalanche of a legal problem for free to my friend the dentist who understands she has no real dental insurance and refuses to charge.
The list goes on and on.
Whether you are battling an illness, or anything else that has knocked you down, this is just the beginning of your journey, and anything is possible with God’s help.
To illustrate that point, my mother wanted to share this simple drawing that represents to her all the love that has come her way.
Thing is, it wasn’t so simple to draw.
Completely paralyzed on one side of her body after the stroke, unable to even get herself out of bed, she has come a long way. But sadly she still has almost no use of her right arm.
Losing her right arm meant losing her ability to draw and a little piece of her heart. But urged on by others, a few months after her stroke my mother picked up a pencil with her left hand and struggled to relearn her craft like a child starting anew. A year later, she has rediscovered that little piece of her heart she lost.
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