Last weekend when my son and daughter-in-law came to visit, my son managed to get the front yard mowed before it started raining. And he replaced my broken toilet seat. And my daughter-in-law cleaned my oven and my kitchen. And they told me before they left, "Get a young guy to mow the back yard, Mom ... DO NOT do that yourself. Ask for help."
When a friend came to walk with me on Tuesday, she said, "My husband and son are coming to mow your yard on Thursday. DO NOT do that yourself. We'll help with that." And tonight at the end of my walk (with a buddy, so DO NOT worry), my phone rang and it was the husband of my friend from Tuesday. He said, "My son and I would like to come mow your yard."
As I've said many times in this blog, it's hard for me to allow others to help me. I've always been the one who took care of others ... the strong one, the one who was super woman, the one who could do it all and then some. And as I've said in this blog, I'm having a small health slump right now ... only for the short-term until my blood sugars get regulated and leveled out, and the doctors determine the right combination and dosage of medications. Eventually, I fully expect to return to my normal routine ... you know, being super woman again, walking alone, mowing my own yard, etc.
For as hard as I have fought against accepting help, tonight was yet another lesson and blessing in my life as I watched a 17-year-old young man with a kind and gentle heart mow my lawn. He accomplished in less than an hour what would have taken me three hours to do. With a smile that reflects his heart, he tackled my not-so-fun back yard with ease and grace, and then sailed through the mowing of the front. As he and his dad got in their car to leave, the young man said, again with a broad smile, that he would be more than happy to help me with my yard this summer.
I'm sure the guys didn't see, but as I walked back into my house, I had tears in my eyes as I closed my garage doors. Tears not from having to give up some things in my life for a time, but tears for the love, care, and friendship shared with me not only by this father and son, but by their whole family. As I walked into the kitchen, I told my canine companions ... "We are truly blessed, pups, truly blessed."
So once again, as I've done quite often over the last weeks and months, when I get on my knees by my bed tonight, I'll be saying thank you to my Lord ... first for the gift of His love and sacrifice for me, and then for the blessing of my family and friends. DO NOT think even for a second that I won't!
1 comment:
much more fun to be superwoman. it is of course easier to comment on this post when you are reading this as superwoman present, not superwoman on sabbatical! but it is easy to see that this is a wonderful opportunity for you to ALLOW this young man to serve in such a capacity. in taking a short leave of absence, you are giving him the chance to prove his worth to yourself and others. isn't that part of the beauty, grace and wisdom of the experience of age? we can, in a way, gratefully play 2nd fiddle...and not mind quite so much? ;)
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