This week, a friend commented that she didn’t know how I could care for my Mom full time, day in and day out, for the past year. She called me a role model, an earth angel and an inspiration. She too is struggling to care for an aging parent and knows first hand how hard it can be.
The truth? I am none of those things.
I am just a daughter limping from day to day trying to do the right thing and help my Mother retain a sense of purpose and joy during this last season of her life.
In a very basic way, everyone needs to be needed – even those who do not appear to have much to give. This is where the Blessing Bike has been an additional blessing. Aside from experiencing life outside and meeting new people, the Blessing Bike has become Rosemary’s legacy and purpose. She looks forward to the comments on facebook and experiencing how the blessing bike is making a difference in people’s lives. At times, it makes her cry tears of joy to think that she started this whole thing as the inspiration behind the bike. Although the Blessing Bike Non Profit has made less than 20 bikes so far, the impact of the bike has spread much further. Your comments, your notes and your mail has brought Rosemary an immense amount of joy. Each Blessing Bike brought home brings her joy knowing someone else will have an opportunity at a life changed as she has.
So, the other day when she asked if there was anything she could do to help me, I said yes. I asked her to write a handwritten note to everyone who supported the Blessing Bike through the Idaho Gives Campaign. She jumped up with her walker, grabbed a pen and painstakingly sat at the kitchen table with a magnifying glass slowly and carefully writing a note to thank everyone for their support. It is a slow process, just a few a day, but it means a great deal to her to be able to do it.
Oh… and she has been known to love the camera. On Monday this week she interviewed with Inside Edition and she sat in front of the laptop for a facetime interview like an old pro. What 92 year old lady has had 3 television appearances (locally and Steve Harvey) and several internet social media platform interviews (Yahoo, NowThis and then today’s interview with Inside Edition)??
She amazes me….. I am not the angel, she is.
By the way, she is still waiting for that call from Ellen Degeneres. If you know people who know people…
Just sayin’.
