Opinion

This is part one of a series about Michael who was sixty years old when he enrolled in hospice services with end stage cirrhosis of the liver. Michael was an electrician, a member of the “International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers”. He is one of seven children and stated “I’m two minutes older than my twin sister, Michelle, but she’s the one who taught me to always say ‘thank you’ and ‘you’re welcome’.”

Judges 6:11 says, “Now the angel of the Lord came and… Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.” It was really unreal that the angel of the Lord came to Gideon. Why do I say that? It was because Gideon was the least man in the least tribe. You couldn’t sink any lower than Gideon! Gideon was about as weak a person as they come. He was so weak that when the angel said, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor,” he proceeded to tell the angel that he had the wrong guy!

When God works in our lives it is truly amazing. If you ever noticed one thing; religious people are not very impressive! They don’t impress God and they don’t impress those that surround them on a daily basis. Never forget, as a Christian, “What you got is what God gave you!” If you are saved, you are saved on God’s terms; not your own!

Shirley was in her seventies when she enrolled in our outpatient hospice services with terminal cancer. Shirley married at age fifteen and admitted, “I got pregnant and then I got married, but I think you’re supposed to do it the other way around.” Shirley reminisced about how she and her deceased husband, during their younger years, loved to dance; “My husband had to have a few beers before he would dance, but I didn’t need anything. I just loved to dance. I really think I could have become a professional dancer. But my husband had a heart attack and he had to stop drinking, so we stopped dancing too. The kids were older too, so they didn’t need us as much anymore. So we just started watching TV and going out to eat. I really didn’t enjoy it though. I was bored. We just couldn’t think of anything else that we wanted to do. It became a routine and we just started to mold.” Shirley looked me squarely in the eyes and said, “Loren, promise me that whatever you do, don’t ever let yourself start to mold”.

The order is always the same but never commonplace. With the highest regard for respect and allegiance, my eyes have witnessed countless former soldiers as they carefully and precisely fold our nation’s colors underscored with the words of what they represent. Then in solemn tones the voice of a veteran repeats the words “This flag is presented on behalf of a grateful nation and the United States Army as a token of appreciation for your loved one’s honorable and faithful service.” I did a little research at the Military Salute Project to understand all the protocol a little better.

Eileen was admitted to outpatient hospice services with terminal cancer when she was seventy-four years old. Eileen and her husband, Lowell, reflected on their life together. Eileen confessed, “I wasn’t an angel but I was a good girl. I didn’t smoke or drink but we loved to go to The Lincoln to dance. I met Lowell at The Plateau Restaurant in Waverly. I lost a girlfriend over him. We were at the Plateau eating and she wanted to date him. There was an empty chair next to her but he pulled the chair over next to me and didn’t even let me eat, he tormented me. I lost a friend over him that night.”

Proverbs 16:18 declares, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Pride defined is a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired. I was born in the 1960’s and a proud member of the Big Red Machine era of the Cincinnati Reds, I am proud to be identified with the successes and history of the leaders of those baseball teams. I’m proud of our strong biblical heritage as a nation, the character and sacrifice of our founding fathers and every generation that has stood for our founding principles of freedom gives me great pleasure wherever I am in the world to say I am an American. To quote Mr. Lee Greenwood, I’m proud to be an American!

Owen, nicknamed “Deek”, was admitted to our outpatient hospice services when he was eighty-two years old, with end stage congestive heart failure. Deek grew up in the small rural town of Beaver, Ohio where he and his older brother, Sandy, were members of “The Pig Turd Alley Gang”. Deek explained, “At least that’s what the old neighbor man, Daddy Schrader, called us. I was ten years old back then and my friend ‘Copperhead’ was sixteen. He was old enough to drive. We hoed corn, moved hay and planted and picked up potatoes for Daddy Schrader. We were like farm hands.”

No More Tabs!

Salute a: to address with expressions of kind wishes, courtesy, or honor b: to give a sign of respect, courtesy, or goodwill to: to honor.