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Thursday, April 5, 2018

Visiting . . . Caring . . .

Snickers and I visited a neighbor friend today who currently is a resident
in a nursing home care facility in our area.
He suffered a brain bleed, surgery while vacationing in Florida months ago.

Paul is an active man. He loves to fish, play golf, camp, snowmobile, trail his beautiful very large fifth wheel from place to place to camp with friends, family. Paul and his wife Mary Ann, were always taking off on camping excursions or to golf, fish and more. Mary Ann died suddenly a few years ago. Life has been very different for Paul with missing Mary Ann terribly. But he has carried on, never stopping and now he is carrying on with his current health issues.


Paul’s son Jason and family and his daughter Shelly were with him daily in The Florida hospital.
Jason lives in the Kalamazoo area and rushed to be with his dad in Florida. Shelly rushed home from China for a few weeks when she learned of her dads hospitalization and returned to China a few weeks ago to finish her teaching year.


Snickers and I walked through the door today and Paul said immediately . . .
”Lynne . . . Snickers . . .”

Paul has gone from non responsive, to awakening, to tiny bit by bit steps of re-entering his world.
Paul was flown from a Florida hospital, back to the Muskegon area,
closer to home, to begin rehabilitation a few weeks ago.
Saying a few words has been happening more and more the past few weeks.

Each day . . . Paul is a bit stronger . . . talking more, moving his body more.
His family, friends, faith community have been steadfast with their love, visits, prayers.
Easter Sunday he attended his local church with family and stood during the service.
The picture below was taken a few days ago. Paul and his brother Dan.

I wished I had taken pictures today but I was so taken back by watching Snickers sitting on Paul’s lap and looking down at her and saying, “baby” while rubbing her ears and head that I forgot to take a picture.
“Baby” was what Paul often said to Snickers when we would stop for a visit on our daily morning walks
before Paul took off for his winter trip to Florida.

My visit was a reminder for me of how very important it is to stay in touch, visit, care about loved ones.

Snickers was such a trooper today . . . She sat on several laps and was very patient.
I think she would make a perfect “service/care dog friend.”

Snickers and I plan to visit Paul again soon . . .

’til next time
Love
lynne

16 comments:

Marge in Michigan said...

What a touching post, Lynne. Paul certainly has the support & prayers of his family and friends...and Snickers! I'm sure your visit was the highlight of his day.

Looking forward to lunch (smile).

MarmePurl said...

I am so glad the world has good people like you.

eileeninmd said...

Hello, lovely post Lynne! I am sure Paul appreciated your and Snickers visit. You are a good person and neighbor Lynne. Snickers would make a great service dog. Prayers for Paul's speedy recovery! Happy Thursday, enjoy your day!

Tanna said...

Without a doubt you and Snickers brought healing to Paul today. Love and caring are the great healers. Medicine may cure our bodies... but the devastation to the soul is cured by love. What a drastic change Paul's life has gone through in the past few years. I'm sure the other residents benefited from your visit as well... how could one not feel better with a visit from Snickers and his sweet momma! blessings ~ tanna

Jeanie said...

You are so right about remembering the importance of visiting. And what a joy to take Snickers and have such a wonderful reaction from Paul. I do believe animals bring a tranquility and peace to people and that can only be healing. Lovely.

barb said...

Bless you and Paul.

Donna said...

Such a touching post! Snickers is indeed a perfect companion dog. Sending hugs and blessings for y'all!

krishna said...

I'm so happy for him.. he is a fighter, and he will never give up..kudos to him..

Retired Knitter said...

He looks too young to have suffered such a serious condition. Just a reminder that in life there are no promises. Live each moment like it could be your last. Very nice post. Hope he continues to recover.

Beth at PlantPostings said...

So sweet that Snickers was a comfort to your friend, Paul. I hope his recovery will go well and he'll feel much better in the weeks ahead. I'm sure he really appreciated your visit!

The Wykeham Observer said...

I ran into your blog thru "New Life on the Farm" blog. You have some really nice posts, including this one. You must be a true friend to Paul. An important lesson.

Shelly said...

Lynne, thank you so much for sharing your blog about my dad. Where did you get the pictures? (Probably mom's facebook page, right?) :-) You have expressed the journey well, and I am so grateful for you (and so many others) who are taking care of him while I am so very far away. Until July...my friend.

R's Rue said...

Love.

Ida said...

How wonderful that your friend is doing better and that Snickers was a help. What a sweet visit you had.

Pepper Medley said...

You are such a dear person, Lynne. And you certainly raised Snickers right! Hope your friend recovers quickly. Xox

Anita Johnson said...

What a blessing you are.....i
I know how much visits mean to me. And even with the changes in our “mission” field, we try to serve. Just like you and snickers!