Working in a nursing home, I get to meet all sorts of cool and interesting people.
For the purpose of this entry, I'm going to classify, the folks that live there.
-There's a lot of really nice people, who have pretty much been abandoned there in Long Term Care living.
-There's those with "Special occasion" families.. They come Christmas, Easter and Birthdays.
-And for the very, very select few... They have significant others who are there for them still, every day.
These Men and Women are my Unsung Heroes for today.
There's the Doctor who comes in 3 or 4 times a week to feed his wife who has Dementia. After dinner he takes her out of the dining room, sits holding her hand and talks to her.. Even though she can't reply and likely doesn't understand him.
There's the Man who comes in every day at 3, takes his wife for a stroll in her wheelchair, feeds her dinner then they watch TV together until he goes home around 8ish... She also has dementia and probably has no idea what is going on, but he does it anyways.
Last on this very incomplete list is a woman who used to come in every evening to spend it with her Husband. I worked on that floor for 3 or 4 years, and she was always there every evening, until he passed away.
I'm not criticizing families who don't have that kind of time, or have things in their lives that prevent them from being there as much as they'd like.
I am however, celebrating those few who do what they need to do to be with the person they love.
I was talking to someone once who resented one of my "Unsung Heroes", for doing what they do, because they didn't have anyone like that.
My thoughts and what I told them is this. It's true that most of us will never have anything resembling someone who cares that much about us. But we can still appreciate and admire it when we see it elsewhere, just like a sunset or the scent of spring in the air. I've never owned an ocean, but I can still admire it's beauty.
So to these, and the many other Unsung Heroes who visit their Husbands, Wives, Parents and Grandparents (and in a few cases, Children), and still insist on being part of their lives...
Thank You for your quiet Awesomeness, You are an example to the rest of us. :-)
Peace Kiddies
