Recently my mother was in a rehabilitation center for therapy. As I had been visiting there I noticed that some of the "patients" (some long-term, some temporary) didn't have any visitors.
One woman, in particular, caught my attention. Each day she would sit out in the hall in her wheelchair, staring at a little bulletin board and watching the activities of the many workers there or just watching people walk by. She seemed so alone.
One evening she sat holding a Christmas bell made out of colored paper. She asked me if I could read what was written on it because she didn't have her glasses. It had been made and signed by a little girl, and on it was written "God loves you". After I read it to her she held it tightly in her hand, glancing at it often. It was only a paper bell, made by a little girl she didn't know, but it seemed to mean so much to her.
So I began to talk with her. I wanted to learn about her life. She shared that she is 85 years old, is mother of six children, had been married twice and widowed twice. What a full life! And even at age 82 she is as alert mentally as a young person.
As I visited with her, then a few other patients in wheelchairs began to gather and visit also. They all seemed delighted just to have someone to talk to. I have learned that all of them respond to a bright smile or "How are you today?" They want to be acknowledged or "recognized" and to have someone to talk to... to feel someone cares.
If the life of this one woman is any indication, then this rehab center is full of gold and "wealth" of experience. Only God knows the riches stored in the lives of those dear people. And what a need is there, just waiting for someone to fill it.
© 2007 Arlene Schwartzkopf