by Kay Heitsch
This week of Thanksgiving, I'd like to share two stories.
How thankful are you for the ability to talk and to eat? I never thought about this until my Aunt Ruth had a stroke and could not speak or eat. Before her stroke, she would call me, or I'd call her, and she would always ask me what I was planning to make for dinner that night. I could see how important our daily talks and eating were to her. When Aunt Ruth had her stroke, she could not talk or eat; she was given a feeding tube to keep her alive.
For many years I worked in a memory care center. Ken was a resident at the memory care center. When he first arrived, Ken also had a feeding tube like Aunt Ruth. Ken was able to have his feeding tube removed and was able to start eating pureed food.
The first day when the pureed food was put in front of Ken, he immediately began to eat nonstop. After he was finished eating, I noticed tears in his eyes. Ken then bowed his head and started to pray out loud. I'll never forget Ken's prayer. "Our Father who art in heaven, thank you for this delicious food I have already eaten."
I was moved by Ken's devotion, knowing that I would no doubt complain if I had to eat this pureed food, but Ken was thankfully praising God.
This Thanksgiving, I remember Aunt Ruth and Ken. I pray I'll never take for granted the many blessings I have, especially the ability to talk and enjoy a delicious meal. HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO EACH OF YOU!
"I will proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving. And tell of all Your wondrous works. Psalm 26:7
3 comments:
I love these two stories Kay! At times when I think my life is such a mess, all it takes is a reminder like this to put things into perspective. I can hear, smell, see, feel, taste...I have the use of all four limbs and no major health challenges. The Lord is my strength, I have wonderful friends (like you), a job that's recession-proof...when we start making a gratitude list we realize just how much we have to be grateful for. Thanks for the reminder and sharing your experiences!
I just found your blog (read Have A Great Day, what a fantastic book). My cousin had throat cancer and is finally able to eat after a year and a half, hopefully she will be able to talk in another few months (she is in remission). I never thought about how intricate the human throat is, how wonderful it is to be able to just swallow a bit of food. Now I know! Thanks for your blogpost.
Lisa
Hello Lisa,
I am happy to hear your cousin is in remission. I will pray for her full recovery. We take so much for granted in life until it's taken away. Your cousin in blessed to have you in her family.
Kay
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