After we moved here, one special couple made us feel like we were truly at home. We sat on the row behind them, so we were able to visit with them each week. Mary impressed us with her sweetness AND spunkiness. Although she was in her mid-70's, she kept talking about wanting to canoe down the Brazos River with us some day. Jim was quiet and soft spoken, but he had a keen (and dry!) wit. He was truly a gentle man. There was a 2-year-old at our congregation who had been abused and was currently living with relatives. She was non-verbal and was very shy...especially around men. I should say around men, except for Jim. He was the only man that she would go to for a long time. His quiet, gentle manner earned her trust...as it did with everyone else.
We have gone through some rough times over the past 9 years that we've lived here. A constant during all that time was the love and support of Jim and Mary. I'll never forget the time they showed up on our doorstep with cake in their hands and tears in their eyes telling us how much they loved having us here...and how they never wanted us to leave. After my hysterectomy, they showed up at lunchtime one day and told us they were taking us out to lunch. When the girls bought their house, Jim and Mary gave them the money needed to buy a refrigerator. These are just a few examples showing what kind of people they were.
Jim was already on oxygen part-time when we moved here. It wasn't long before he required it fulltime. He continued to take care of all of his own car maintenance and yard work (and his yard was several acres!). It was like pulling teeth to try to get them to ALLOW people to help them whenever they moved (which they did twice during the past 9 years). Mary was in fairly good health, but had bad knees which made her slow getting around. Not long after we moved here, she fell and broke her hip. It took her a LONG time to recover from that and it was the start of her decline. Not long after that, their daughter Angie's health started to decline rapidly. They nursed and cared for her until she finally lost her battle to a nasty infection. That took so much out of this sweet couple. Then a couple of years ago, Jim started having problems with blood clots in his leg which ultimately led to it being amputated. Losing his independence was very hard on Jim. He was just starting to regain a little of it, with the help of a scooter and handicap-equipped van, when his health took a nose dive. During this same time, Mary fell again and broke her other hip. One or the other of them was in the hospital a large percentage of the time over that last year or so of Jim's life. Then on February 18 of this year, his battle with the pains and ills of this life ended. We really worried about Mary, but she seemed to handle his passing very well. It was so difficult for her to try to care for him and watch him suffer. I know her heart was broken, though, after almost 63 years of marriage.
Over the past 5 months, we have all watched Mary's health decline. She continued to live alone in their house in the country and refused to allow anyone to pick her up to drive her to church. She faithfully drove herself twice every Lord's Day. Her steps kept getting slower and more feeble. Her smile was still present, but wasn't as bright. Then two weeks ago, she drove herself to the hospital in pain. They discovered an intestinal blockage which required surgery. She didn't want to have it done, but others insisted since she couldn't survive without it. She ended up spending 13 agonizing days in ICU before finally being "released". I spent most of the afternoon with her Monday. I truly didn't think she would survive the day. They called in the family, so I left...allowing them their time alone with their mother, grandmother, and aunt. I called to check on her yesterday morning and was told that her vital signs had stabilized and she was more quiet and at peace. Then I received "the call" early yesterday afternoon.
I am truly going to miss our dear Jim and Mary. Highway will never be the same without them. Their kindness, their humor, their strong faith will always be remembered with love. Even through the tears of grief, I can't help but smile. They are both at peace, no longer in pain or grief. Plus I have a strong hope that I'll see them again some day! I love you, Jim and Mary. You will be greatly missed!
No comments:
Post a Comment