Twice in One Week

This week has been a busy one, to say the least. Church has been awesome, the time change stunk, and I've been fairly busy at work. I had something strange happen though, something I've never had happen before, but since it's happened to me twice in one week, it makes me wonder just how many people are there out there like these two I have served this week.

Tuesday, I received a "First Call", which is Funeral Director for a "death." This one was unusual though. It was one that I was saddened by when I spoke with the nurse at the nursing home. The lady who passed away lived to be 101 years old and was but 9 days from her 102nd birthday. It's great that she lived such a long life, but along with a long life comes the scariest thing one could have to experience. This lady had no one. She had outlived everyone in her family, and when I say everyone, there was not even a niece, nephew, or cousin left. Fortunately, she has lived for the past 20 years in a local nursing home that cared deeply for her. They helped her buy her funeral when she was 80, that way there would be no worries when the time came and she could have a decent burial. Well, all that came to the funeral was nursing home staff and an 80 year old lady that "thought" she was taught in school by the deceased. It was a sad occasion, but I was thankful that the lady had people who took her in and cared for her. We buried her on Thursday.

Thursday, when I got back to the funeral home, I received another First Call from another nursing home in town. This time, a man, much younger than the 101 year old. He was only 61. He, like the first, had no one. Same exact story as before, except the nursing home discovered that this gentleman was close to brilliant. He had achieved his Master's degree in some form of science and shortly after receiving the degree, developed a mental disease and was non responsive for 30 plus years. Like before, the nursing home helped take care of him by planning his funeral in advance. We will bury him Tuesday.

I am amazed at the fact that this happened once to me, much less twice in one week. I mean, I know there are people with nobody, but this was just amazing to me how the nursing home stepped up to take care of these people and be there family, where there was no family. Nursing homes usually have a negative connotation and a stigma of a place where people are treated bad while in their "waiting room to death," but I want to give honor to these two nursing homes in Wichita Falls for the love they showed two people who couldn't help where their life took them.

I am left wondering how many more there are. How many more will I recieve a call to serve? How many more are out there that need someone, anyone to care for them; someone to become their family. It just made me think...

-approved by Farley Wells, CMDI.