A Good Day

(I have decided to write for a while about the observations I make during my Elder Sitting job. I will refer to the lady I stay with as Miss Jewel, because she really is a jewel.)

Today was a good day. I fed the cats as soon as I arrived. They were quite happy to see me. Two of the tiniest kittens were not in the garage--one of the missing was the calico that I put dibs on. Perhaps she's just hiding.

I get into the house, let Trixie (the dog) out and begin to prepare for breakfast. The toaster isn't working again unless you hold down the lever. No big deal.

Miss Jewel emerges from her room around 8:45. When I ask how she is, she's quick to reply that she's not doing too badly. She eats her breakfast and begins to read the paper. About 9:30 she makes her way out onto the porch and continues to read the paper. While she is out on the glider reading I hurry to get her bed sheets washed, dried and back on the bed. She's not happy when I'm not busy, but she doesn't want me doing things like laundry either.

We have lunch on the front porch and it is extremely pleasant. Several white butterflies are flitting across the lawn. A brown butterfly is entertaining us on the planter right next to the table. A hummingbird darts in to sample the flowers on the table a few times. A huge bumblebee and another butterfly share the flowers on the mint plants in the flower bed beside us. I brought leftovers from home for me and fixed some leftovers for Miss Jewel. I also brought some very large purple grapes, the size of small plums, to share. She loved them. At least five times she told me how good they were.

Next to the fun of watching all the creatures during lunch, the highlight was Miss Jewel's unusual talkativeness. She was in the mood to reminisce. She was thinking back to her days as a girl and walking to school and playing by the creek. It was fun to hear the stories...again. I don't tire of them. All too soon my shift was ended.

I, too, was doing some remembering today. Two years ago, I lost my job in June. Nelson was recouperating from his fourth surgery on his ankle. I couldn't find work. The opportunity to stay with Miss Jewel three or four days a week came available at the beginning of September. The family was at a loss because their father, Miss Jewel's husband, had just died. They didn't want to put her through two major losses so they decided to hire me and another woman to spend the days with Miss Jewel. They thought it would probably be for a few months, maybe four. And here we are two years later with no end in sight.

I'm so thankful for this job. I have learned so much--mostly about myself. I'll share more of that as we go along.