Red, Cole and I made another trip to a nursing home today, and I met a woman that seemed to have a message for me. Hmmm.
Cole did great - nothing phased him (not the sleeping people in their wheelchairs in the halls, not the man who kept giving him Ritz crackers, not the blind woman who couldn't really respond and not even the drooling man wearing diapers) until we got to one room that had that distinct, nasty nursing home smell. You know. Basically a diaper that needed changing.
He was really grossed out, and I felt bad that I had not mentioned that possibility. Later, though, he said "At first it grossed me out, but then it just made me sad." Then we had a long talk about how humiliating it would be. Never know what might come up at these visits....
So, there we were on the third floor and walked towards a woman in a wheelchair with a blank look on her face. She saw Cole, and her eyes followed him. We introduced ourselves, and she asked slowly if Cole was my boy. I said yes. She stared at me - really seemed to look deeply into my eyes. Cole went off with Red, and I stayed with her (Mrs. Rogers). It was hard to follow what she was saying at first.
Then, she looked right at me and said "You are brave."
Let me tell you, there are many days as a single mom I feel much more of a mess than brave. She said it again. "You are very brave." I said thanks and she asked "do you take care of your boy?" I said yes. She said "Well, you need some help." She was still looking straight into my eyes.
By this point, I'm wondering "who is this lady? how does she know about my life?" I said "Well, yes I really do need help." It was so...not sure what the word is. Thoughtful? Eerie? Prophetic? Spiritual? Not to sound too weird, but it was like a message I needed to hear.
Now, she did go on to tell me I should just call the nursery to get some help. But, I'm going to choose to believe that she did have a message for me, not just some confused ramblings. I plan to look for her on our next visit...maybe she'll have another message, or maybe she'll just be asleep.
Showing posts with label Red. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Red. Show all posts
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
POOP IN THE MOUTH
I'm sitting here trying to work and having a good cry watching the end of one of those old episodes of Little House on the Prairie. Love that old show. It was the Christmas episode where Laura gives up her beloved pony to that awful Nellie Olsen in order to get her mom a stove as a Christmas gift. Call me a loser, but I dare you to watch that episode and not cry.
Thought I'd report on Red's (my dog's) missionary work. (I just knew when I bought him he had a heart for missions. Ha.) He did pass the class at church and went on his second nursing home visit today. The visit did not start off well. As we gathered in front of the nursing home to pray, Red plunged his face into some yellow poop that he proceeded to happily eat. Lovely.
After some serious clean up, however, he did very well. So many of the rooms are warm and cozy, he tends to just curl up and want to stay. He did play the cute dog part well. One lady thought he was actually a baby - her great-grandchild in fact. She was a bit confused.
Thought I'd report on Red's (my dog's) missionary work. (I just knew when I bought him he had a heart for missions. Ha.) He did pass the class at church and went on his second nursing home visit today. The visit did not start off well. As we gathered in front of the nursing home to pray, Red plunged his face into some yellow poop that he proceeded to happily eat. Lovely.
After some serious clean up, however, he did very well. So many of the rooms are warm and cozy, he tends to just curl up and want to stay. He did play the cute dog part well. One lady thought he was actually a baby - her great-grandchild in fact. She was a bit confused.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
GRADUATION
(I meant to post this yesterday/Saturday) It was a big morning for Red, but let me begin by venting. As the single mom of an only child nine-year-old boy, I am really tired of playing with him. Frankly, bored is the better word. There. I said it.
(The afternoon went something like this: play game with Cole and Red that involves intricate rules – it’s a combination of tackle football and tag; then, play indoor baseball game which involves diving onto the mattress that I drug into the den until I decide we’re going to break something so we move the mattress and game outside; after chasing a kazillion of Cole’s hits into the street finally coming inside -- after dragging the mattress back in. Ten minutes later we begin an hour-long game of me throwing the football to Cole, and Cole diving on the mattress. It is going to be a very long holiday week.)
Well, anyway, Red graduated from his obedience/visiting nursing homes class. He never did master the sit-stay-down (it basically turned into me saying “sit” and Red doing a belly flop onto the floor), but the trainer thinks he’ll do just fine with the residents.My mom proudly came to the graduation, as both of her granddogs were in the class. She took photos and cheered for them as all good grandmas do.
Frankly, it was a bit disturbing to realize just how bored she must be with her life. We’ve discussed the fact that she’s kind of in phase II of being a grandmother. Phase I involved much babysitting and attending about four to five games a week to cheer on her four grandkids.
Now, her three older grandkids aren’t playing sports, and the babysitting needs have lessened. Not sure what phase II of grandparenting will include for her, but I certainly don’t think cheering on her granddogs should be the highlight of her week. Hmmm. Wonder if she’d like to play some football with Cole?
(The afternoon went something like this: play game with Cole and Red that involves intricate rules – it’s a combination of tackle football and tag; then, play indoor baseball game which involves diving onto the mattress that I drug into the den until I decide we’re going to break something so we move the mattress and game outside; after chasing a kazillion of Cole’s hits into the street finally coming inside -- after dragging the mattress back in. Ten minutes later we begin an hour-long game of me throwing the football to Cole, and Cole diving on the mattress. It is going to be a very long holiday week.)
Well, anyway, Red graduated from his obedience/visiting nursing homes class. He never did master the sit-stay-down (it basically turned into me saying “sit” and Red doing a belly flop onto the floor), but the trainer thinks he’ll do just fine with the residents.My mom proudly came to the graduation, as both of her granddogs were in the class. She took photos and cheered for them as all good grandmas do.
Frankly, it was a bit disturbing to realize just how bored she must be with her life. We’ve discussed the fact that she’s kind of in phase II of being a grandmother. Phase I involved much babysitting and attending about four to five games a week to cheer on her four grandkids.
Now, her three older grandkids aren’t playing sports, and the babysitting needs have lessened. Not sure what phase II of grandparenting will include for her, but I certainly don’t think cheering on her granddogs should be the highlight of her week. Hmmm. Wonder if she’d like to play some football with Cole?
Saturday, October 25, 2008
HULA HOOP TRICKS
Red (my one-year-old Shi-tzu) and I went to our fourth “training session” at church this morning. We got into this thing because Cole heard them talking about the Paws to Care ministry at our church; we saw the tall and well-trained Olivia (one of those weird looking over-sized poodles) in the church lobby; and Cole thought it would be fun to take Red to visit people in nursing homes.
Swept up by Olivia’s soft fur, the nice lady at the sign-up table and the thought that my son might enjoy doing something other than organizing football cards or playing computer games, I signed up. We showed up for the first training class, and I began to get the whole picture. The training sessions are obedience training – not how to be nice when sweet old ladies in wheelchairs pet you.
So Red and I trek into the church every Saturday and dutifully practice heel; sit-stay; and sit down stay. Today we even learned how to walk through a hula hoop. Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m loving the fact that I am getting free obedience training, but I’m just not sure how my little dog knowing how to do a 60-second sit-down-stay or how to walk through a hula hoop is going to make us more qualified to walk around a nursing home.
The kicker is that we have to pass an “examination” to qualify for serving in this ministry after the eight weeks of training sessions. I kind of figured everyone would pass, but I talked to two women this morning whose dogs didn’t pass last spring. (Granted, one of them has a half Doberman/half lab and the other had a wild puppy) So now the pressure’s on. I think Red does just fine with his sit-stays but he seems only to be able to achieve the sit-down-stay when he’s so tired that he happens to lay down right when I give the command. If the walk-through-the-hula-hoop trick is a major part of the exam, then we’re golden.
The other thing about the class is the number of people who are trying to train their massive mastiffs and rottweilers to “share the love of Christ with those in the lonely stages of life.” Are you kidding me?? If these dogs walked in my nursing home, I’d grab my bingo card and walker and hide. If those dogs pass the exam, and my dog doesn’t, I plan to take it to the elders.
Swept up by Olivia’s soft fur, the nice lady at the sign-up table and the thought that my son might enjoy doing something other than organizing football cards or playing computer games, I signed up. We showed up for the first training class, and I began to get the whole picture. The training sessions are obedience training – not how to be nice when sweet old ladies in wheelchairs pet you.
So Red and I trek into the church every Saturday and dutifully practice heel; sit-stay; and sit down stay. Today we even learned how to walk through a hula hoop. Now, don’t get me wrong – I’m loving the fact that I am getting free obedience training, but I’m just not sure how my little dog knowing how to do a 60-second sit-down-stay or how to walk through a hula hoop is going to make us more qualified to walk around a nursing home.
The kicker is that we have to pass an “examination” to qualify for serving in this ministry after the eight weeks of training sessions. I kind of figured everyone would pass, but I talked to two women this morning whose dogs didn’t pass last spring. (Granted, one of them has a half Doberman/half lab and the other had a wild puppy) So now the pressure’s on. I think Red does just fine with his sit-stays but he seems only to be able to achieve the sit-down-stay when he’s so tired that he happens to lay down right when I give the command. If the walk-through-the-hula-hoop trick is a major part of the exam, then we’re golden.
The other thing about the class is the number of people who are trying to train their massive mastiffs and rottweilers to “share the love of Christ with those in the lonely stages of life.” Are you kidding me?? If these dogs walked in my nursing home, I’d grab my bingo card and walker and hide. If those dogs pass the exam, and my dog doesn’t, I plan to take it to the elders.
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