Over the years, anytime I mentioned any little thing about
our small house, Mike would say, “Have I ever told you the story about the guy
whose house was too small?’’ I would say, “Yes!” and then he would say, “You
haven’t heard this one.” And he would tell the story, but use different animals
or put them in a different order or give the guy a different name etc.
On Saturday, Mike and I went to our son, Nathan’s soccer
game. We took Leah with us so Nathan could go early to warm up with his
team…that’s what we usually do. It was pouring rain and we were thankful that
the field had some shelter, but it was a little ways away from the parking lot,
so we were pretty wet when we got there. Like many soccer games we have
attended over the years, we were wet and cold. We huddled under the shelter
with the other fans and watched an exciting first half. Nathan was playing
great and Mike wasn’t about to take his eyes off the game until half time, when
he looked at me with a look of urgency and told me he had to go pee.
I grabbed our things and we ran. The washrooms weren’t that
far away, but our car was closer and I keep a jar under the seat for
emergencies. Unfortunately, we didn’t quite make it. I felt sick to my stomach
and so defeated. My husband is a smart man. He is wise and witty and competent.
He was a good athlete and a hard worker. He raised three great kids and is well
respected in our community. Here he sat in his wheel chair unable to get to the
bathroom on time; a very low moment in a man’s life for sure. Thank the Lord it
was pouring rain and we were all soaking wet anyway.
Leah knew something was up, but we kept telling her
everything was fine. I helped her in to the van and buckled her up. Then I
helped Mike out of his wheel chair and to his seat, beside Leah (behind the
driver’s seat where he always sits). We struggled more than usual to get Mike
in his seat. At one point his leg gave out on him and he just dropped. I
grabbed him with both my arms around him and with all my might I tried to lift
him back up to standing. With the help of a couple of men who saw us
struggling, we got Mike in his seat and we left.
If Leah wasn’t with us, I know I would have lost it. With
tears rolling down my cheeks, I kept a smile on my face and kept reassuring
Leah that Granddad was just fine (she couldn’t see my tears). I
was amazed at Mike’s ability to stay calm and keep his head up. He seemed just
fine like I kept telling Leah.
When we got home, Leah went upstairs to visit her cousins,
Michaela and Luke. Mike and I went into our new little basement suit and closed
the door so we could get cleaned up. Our small space has recently gotten
smaller and has started to resemble a medical supply store. We have two
wheelchairs (one from the ALS Society that we have been using for a long time,
but isn’t the right size and a new (used), top of the line wheel chair our
friend Denise has lent us). We have two shower chairs (one the occupational
therapist brought us a while ago and a nice new one on wheels that Mike’s sister,
Pat got us). We also have Mike’s walker and stationary bike in the room as well
as our table on wheels and all our normal household stuff. Anyway, it's been a little crowded lately to say the least.
While we were getting cleaned up, I couldn’t stop crying…I
was so upset about what happened. Mike who was fully composed and who hates to
see me cry, looks around the room and then looks at me and as clear as day says,
“And then the town seer said, ‘Bring in another shower chair.’”
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