Special Days

I apologize for the delay in posting to my blog. I had eyelid surgery and until today the swelling made my eyes too blurry to clearly see what I was writing.

Did you ever have one of those days where you felt God had poured out an extra blessing upon you? I had two days such as that this past week.

I received a phone call from a friend who is 89. A younger friend of hers offered to spend the day driving her to visit old friends. She hadn't seen me in a long time and wanted to visit for a while.

I met Marge years ago when I was lay minister of pastoral care and outreach at the church we both attended. I visited her and her daughter often. Over the years we became close friends. Marie is a lady who is very devoted to her church family. Before her vision began to fail and she could no longer drive she often visited church shut-ins.

Members of our church were preparing to welcome our new pastor by fixing up the parsonage for him. The Monday following a call for members to help with the cleanup Marge pulled up into the parsonage driveway. She and a young lady, who came to her house once a week to do cleaning for her, stepped out of the station wagon. They unloaded a small step ladder, buckets, and other cleaning paraphernalia.

She introduced Rose, her cleaning lady, and explained it was Rose's day to clean her house. Marge decided that it would be better to come over and help clean the parsonage. I watched them as they began washing the inside windows of the house. I and another fellow were busy dismantling a freestanding fireplace which the new pastor decided he did not like. I climbed up into the attic to remove a length of stovepipe.

I came down from the attic and looked out the front window, there was this lady in her mid-80s standing on a ladder washing the outside windows. I went outside and suggested that she let Rose or me wash the outside windows while she washed counter tops inside the house. After a short discussion she consented to do so.

After I left the church Marge continued visiting shut in members. When she visited me she told me how much she had enjoyed her visitation ministry. One day a new lady minister requested that she no longer visit shut-ins as she had a new visitation plan. In reality, the minister rarely visited members nor did she have anyone else lined up to handle shut in visitation. That minister has now left the church and Marge has once again begun visiting shut-ins and other friends as often as she can find some one to drive her.

Marge, her friend, Mary, and I had a wonderful visit. She told me how much it had meant to her to have me visit with her, read Scripture and pray with her before leaving. She went on to say that Pastor Terry and I were two of the few ministers who read Scripture and prayed when they visited her.

As she was preparing to leave she asked if I would pray with them before they left. The three of us huddled together with our arms around each other and had a word of prayer. What a blessing it was for each one of us!

My second day of special blessing occurred at two events I attended. We had a "Meet The Author" event at our local library. I was one of the authors doing a reading. While I was doing my reading I noticed another younger author listening intently to what I was reading.

At the end of the event I stopped at her table to purchase a copy of her book. She asked me if I wanted her to write anything specifically in it. I told her no, just write anything she would like to. She said, "I know exactly what I will write." She wrote in the book and signed it. While we chatted she closed the book and handed it to me. As we talked she told me she liked my reading and asked if I would consider reading more of it at a special anniversary celebration in a town library nearby. I told her I would think about it and let her know.

During our conversation I opened the flyleaf of the book to see what she had written. It read, "To a man who knows all about being." I thanked her for her gracious words.

Sharon and I are considering taking a day trip to the small town and doing a reading at the library.

Later that same afternoon I went to help my wife pack up her supplies following a workshop she taught on: "Paper Embellishment for use in Collage Paintings." After putting all the supplies in her car we stopped and chatted with Rebecca who had helped by scheduling and coordinating the workshop.

Rebecca is a lady with a very effervescent personality that exudes love and warmth. As we talked I was amazed to learn of her pain and suffering. She has Pompe's disease, which is an autosomal recessive metabolic disease. Her pain has been eased and she has become able to be more active through eight hour intravenous treatments of myozyme every other week.

We would not have known of her condition if it weren't for her concern for me. She noticed that I was no longer wearing my oxygen tank and asked why I was no longer wearing it. I explained to her that I have been receiving Xolair shots at the IV unit in the local hospital and how well they had worked controlling my asthma. She asked me what kind of shots they were. I told her they were made from hamster ovaries.

It was then that she told me that her enzyme replacement therapy is very similar to mine, but is a given by the drip method over an eight hour period. She went on to explain about her condition.

What a blessing it is to have a friend who has a painful, severe debilitating disease who spends her life energy encouraging and bringing joy to the lives of others. We have known this wonderful lady for several months and until last week never knew how much pain and suffering she is enduring.

Rebecca gave me permission to use some of what she said on the world Pompe website. Her full article can be found at:

http://www.worldpompe.org/Rebecca'sLifewithTreatment(UpdateSeptember2007)English.pdf

Her comments follow:

I remember a recurring dream during our eight long years of waiting for treatment. For me it was heaven for as long as it lasted. It went something like this...

"Once in a blue moon comes a night that takes me out of this broken body. In my night dream I am running. I can feel each capable foot push off the firm believable earth. I can hear the strength of my breathing in reassuring rhythm. I am jubilant in my returned memory of a body whole, firm and radiantly beautiful in its perfect cadence."

When I look at this description I am riveted to the words capable, strength, jubilant, whole, firm, radiant, and perfect. Before Myozyme not one of these words could be used to describe me. I would have had to use the words exhausted, racked with pain, extreme fatigue, undone, isolated, incapable, weak, and overwhelmed.

Pompe's disease for me was a recurring pattern of countless heartbreaking attempts to participate, contribute and achieve gone awry. A life meant for living that would deteriorate with a persistent tenacity. It would play out again and again across the canvas of my life. Spirited, enthusiastic and in love with life, still my most personal endeavors, hopes, dreams, aspirations, nothing would remain unscathed."

What was my daily life like before I began Myozyme? "Think of birds...land birds, tall tree dwellers, low ground hoppers...I felt much like them. My territory was clearly defined. I dwelled in a world that resided exclusively above my waist and as high as my arms could reach. If I dropped something...it was out of my world. If it was above my head...there was no getting on a chair or ladder to reach for it. If I fell I could not get up. (End of quote from Rebecca)

I hope during your journey in life you have made friends with people much like the ones I mentioned in this article. Sometimes we are prone to think of our spiritual giants as ministers church leaders and wealthy Christians. I see in the ladies I mention spiritual giants with a wealth far beyond silver and gold. They walk in the footsteps of Jesus along their path of life bringing joy to the hearts of others.

I hope in the days ahead whether you are walking the pathway of pain or are experiencing a mountain top of joy that you will take time to touch the lives of others for good, much as these ladies have touched mine.

Hugs, in Christ's and My Love,

Don E. Cunningham, author ©3/17/2008 1,522