Among Friends

[house_cat]

[house_cat]

When I moved to California from NY, I knew no one here other than my DH and my two sons.  It was such a drastic contrast to my life back east where I had decades of history, friends and people who cared about me. I remember thinking I could drop dead and no one would notice.  It was not an easy time for me.  

A year later, I had a teaching job. I left school one day and got caught in a massive traffic jam, due to an accident.  When I finally got home, my phone was ringing and it was my coworker, Vickie, calling to ask if I'd gotten home safely. She saw there was a terrible car accident on my route and was concerned about me.  I was so touched by her caring heart, and still am to this day. We are best friends still, almost 20 years later. 

[Bird mama]

I'll try to explain this in a way that is not convoluted 

My husband and I worked for the same company.  He retired at the end of 2000.  He had retiree medical/RX coverage and I had active medical/RX coverage.  I added him to my contract for dental and vision since neither is a benefit offered to retirees (after COBRA exhausts).

When my husband passed away, I received information from the company about surviving spouse coverage.  At the time I was on medical leaves because I was not doing that well with the loss.

When I called the retiree services number for the company, two senior HR reps (Tom and Bill) conferenced into the call with me and told me, take the surviving spouse medical/RX coverage.  They advised me that the company had to offer me dental/vision as an active employee.

Looking back, I was crying so hard I'm surprised they understood a word I said on that call.  They made me promise to take the surviving spoue coverage and never opt out of it.  All I said was okay, if you think so.

At the end of that year, my company rolled out active employee payroll deduction towards health care premuims.  I only had to pay a small amount for the dental and vision.  I paid no contribution to the cost of the medical/RX coverage as a surviving spouse.

Years later the company implemented retiree contribution to the cost of medical/RX insurance premiums.  The contribution was dictated by your retirement date.  I paid no contribution because of the date that my husband had retired.  I had been viewed as a retiree (by association) for a few years by then.

There has not been a single week since January 2007 that I have not prayed for Tom and Bill.  I will continue to pray for them out of gratitude until the day I die.

They showed me compassion and looked out for me when they could have easily shut their mouths knowing that employee contribution towards health care was coming later that year.

[dex]

My dh had a career move to the USA from Canada.I was all alone during the days as our son was in junior high school and dh at work.I went to Fred Meyer because it was close to our home to get out of the house.I was in the produce dept and a woman began talking to me.She realized that I was Canadian and after chatting gave me her phone number and told me to call her if I needed help with anything..I just couldn’t believe that she was so kind.My son started playing hockey and while his team mates didn’t live close enough to visit after school he was invited to all of their homes to spend weekends so that he wouldn’t be lonely.I met so many people who became a friend on that hockey team that I will forever remember and love them for making my family welcome.

[nevergivesup]

 I was sitting at the bedside of my dying 90 year old mother alone, exhausted and on the verge of tears. I was an RN and my mom had had a good long life but at that moment I was just a grieving daughter. An older woman was quietly working in the background cleaning the room; before she left she set aside her bucket and mop and came over to me and said, “Honey, just remember when she lets go of your hand, our loving Father will take her the rest of the way home.” To me she was an angel sent when I most needed the reminder that we are not alone.

[beckyb1012]

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@nevergivesup wrote:

 I was sitting at the bedside of my dying 90 year old mother alone, exhausted and on the verge of tears. I was an RN and my mom had had a good long life but at that moment I was just a grieving daughter. An older woman was quietly working in the background cleaning the room; before she left she set aside her bucket and mop and came over to me and said, “Honey, just remember when she lets go of your hand, our loving Father will take her the rest of the way home.” To me she was an angel sent when I most needed the reminder that we are not alone.

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You are beautiful and thank you for touching my heart this morning @nevergivesup.  I know when I lost my own Mother at 4:30 that morning it so helped for me to know she was having coffee with Jesus.

[dex]

@nevergivesup Your story made me think that there are angels on earth..sad and beautiful message was given to you.

[151949]

When I was a child - elementary school - my Mom had to work to support our family. Back then they did not have day care for children of working parents. So every school vacation , like Christmas and spring break and in the summers my very kind Uncle would take us in. He was divorced and he had a live in housekeeper who would have caring for us added to her workload while we were there. And it was a workload because there were at least 3 little kids all the time.(2 older brothers were able to stay home alone because they were teens.)Anyway, she was a black lady and this was the 50's - she was very kind to us and over time we got to know her family as we would go visit them with her.It was a real education for 2 white kids from the north to learn how it was to be a black woman in the south back then. We loved her like an aunt, loved her family.I remember when her Mother died there was nothing else she could do but take us with her to the funeral. I bet her family really wondered who we were.

[gmkb]

There have been many over the years..  But most recently the kindness of people who have helped since I became ill has been astounding.  While receiving chemo one woman brought dinner for my husband once a week so he could have a day off from cooking.  She still brings a meal about once a month.

Another friend would bring tomatoes and cucumbers from her garden each week, which I was craving.  So good.  Two other friends regularly drop by with little gifts to cheer.  

My daughter has been such a blessing.  She has made herself very available for whatever needs we have and makes sure I get out at least once a week to a restaurant..

There are lots of good people in this world.  Unfortunately, we only hear about the not so good ones from the media.

[Bird mama]

@gmkb  That's very true.