AN UNEXPECTED WALTER REED CHRISTMAS

AN UNEXPECTED WALTER REED CHRISTMAS

We all know how hectic and stressful the holiday season is under normal conditions.  Imagine getting a phone call that your husband has been injured in Afghanistan!   Imagine knowing he will be operated on in Germany and then transported to Walter Reed while you and your two children are in California and need to come to Maryland quickly!!!  Then imagine all this just days before Christmas!!

Two weeks ago on December 15th I got a message from a friend Diana Mankin, a Marine mom herself, who posts on a military forum where she learned of this wounded Marine,  SSgt Jarrod Wayman and that he and his family  would all be arriving  here at Walter Reed the next day, Monday the 16th.   She asked if I could reach out to them when they arrived, to let them know that there is someone here who would personally be there for them any way possible.   So......what takes place over the next few days is nothing short of many God moments where He opens one door after another.

My contact would be the injured Marines's sister in law, Lindsey who lives in Texas with her husband and three children.  As soon as we established contact I asked for the names of Jarrod's wife and children.   Hillary is his wife and they have two small children, 3 year old Bailey and her 6 year old brother Gavin.  They would be needing to celebrate Christmas far from home so  I asked Lindsey for a list of the presents the kids hoped Santa would bring.   Considering there was precious little time, I reached out to a special friend, Jodi Warshall, who is an angel here on planet earth and who can move mountains at a moments notice.  She posted a list of those presents on a forum, a registry of sorts, where others who support our military families can select items,  purchase them and ship them to Jodi.  

I had the opportunity to visit Jarrod, Hillary and the kids for a short time before Jarrod was scheduled for another surgery.  Jodi gave me decorations for a tree that was supplied and was adorning their room at the lodge where they are staying on base.   It was truly an honor to meet all of them.   We had a short visit and I now had faces to go along with the names. 

Knowing that Jodi had that project under control, I got back to Lindsey to tell her about Luke's Wings, the organization I have mentioned in previous articles that unites families and friends of wounded warriors.  They provides airfare at no charge to and from military hospitals all year, but the holiday time is where they really shine....with their slogan "No Soldier Spends the Holiday Alone".  I made sure  Lindsey and her family, as well as her other sister's family knew they could rely on Luke's Wings to get them here to visit during the holidays.   That meant my good friend Jennifer Magerer with Luke's Wings would be arranging their flights.  

With that under control, it was time to get back to the Christmas presents which were purchased by some incredibly generous Americans all over the country.....and let me tell you that is an understatement.   The gifts ranged from $20-$60 and every single item on a list of 20 items was purchased.   By now it is the day before Christmas and all is well.   The morning of the 24th Jodie arrived at my home where we spent a couple of hours wrapping all the gifts for Bailey and Gavin.  We had everything spread out all over the floor and had a ball.   Filled with the Christmas spirit we finished and loaded up her car (which was already overflowing with gifts for other families) and off she went to deliver them to the many families at Walter Reed.

Christmas morning Jodi and I were anxious to hear how the kids liked their presents while we awaited photos to appear on Facebook of them opening their gifts.   Well, as mom Hillary posted, with each new gift they shouted "This is the BEST Christmas EVER!!"   You can bet that made our day!!!   Mission accomplished!!!!   You would almost forget that they were not at home in California because their Christmas was about as normal as it could be, all things considered. 

The Christmas holiday closed with our annual Marine Corps League Christmas dinner for the inpatients and their families.   It is a catered dinner but I invited friends to volunteer to share our time with those who could not leave the hospital for the holiday.   The Waymans came to enjoy the festivities and Santa was there too.   A few more presents from Santa and then Christmas was over for another year.  

When I look back at what appeared to be almost insurmountable tasks to complete in ten days I reflect once again on the fact that when God is on control we should never doubt.   Everything fell in to place exactly as it should, and the smiles and the laughter of the children were the proof.   To all who are reading this article, I wish you a year filled with blessings, kindness, generosity and peace and love for one another.  

MY NEW NEIGHBORS

MY NEW NEIGHBORS

If you have ever lived in an apartment building or multi-family dwelling you will appreciate what I am going to share with you.    I live in a 17-story condominium where many owners sublet their apartments.   I have lived here since 1980 as a renter until I purchased my unit in 2000.   Living here so long you can imagine I have had a variety of neighbors on all four sides, as well as across the hall.   I don't know how other buildings are constructed but this building was built in the mid 60's and  sound carries easily through walls, floors and hallways.  

Several weeks ago the couple who was renting the apartment across the hall moved out.   They told me the owners, a young couple from Bulgaria, wanted to rent it to a friend who just returned from their homeland and was in dire need of a place to live.    Nothing unusual there!!!   The following weekend all hell broke loose.  The sounds of young children screaming, yelling, arguing and running all over the apartment was impossible to ignore.   It was so loud that it sounded as if they were living in my apartment!!   What to do?    I tried to ignore it for three days until I called the front desk  to report the disturbance.   It was so unsettling that I could not think, eat, watch television or read, and more importantly I could not read Scripture.    Finally I called the resident manager in tears explaining that she needed to understand and to hear what I was hearing.  From my front door I held up the phone for a couple of minutes and she listened....and her response was just what I expected.  She was aghast at the decibel of the noise and promised to speak to the new resident.   She did but with little change in the intensity of the noise.

After a week I was so distraught  I decided I would speak to my neighbors myself.    I knocked on their door and a nanny answered...with two adorable little boys behind her.  They were five and seven years old.  Only the seven year old spoke English.   We introduced ourselves.....He is Alex, his little brother Jordan.......I asked him if they knew how to speak quietly and keep their voices down, as their loudness was not good for my health, explaining that I was getting headaches from their constant noise.   They were so apologetic and so cute.....and as we were talking their Mom came down the hall, arriving home from work.    I explained to her what the problem was and that I truly hoped we could find a way to live compatibly.   She admitted that with two little boys it was not easy to calm them down but she would do her best, though it might take time.   We hugged, kissed and shook hands...little Alex extending his hand for me to shake.   I could feel the Lord working in this situation and felt that there would be an improvement, if not right away, in the near future. 

The next day I was at the store and decided to buy some little toys for the boys.   Their apartment was so quiet for two days I thought they were out of town.  Finally hearing their Mom come home one night I knocked and offered the toys.   She invited me in
and we sat and shared a glass of wine while the boys dressed up in their Halloween costumes to show them off.     We had a lovely hour long visit and I learned much about her circumstances.   She is a single Mom with two boys and needed a nanny so that she could work all day, and that she had registered the boys in school so they would not be home during the day.   When I heard her story and how she was struggling it truly touched my heart.   Did I tell you how cute the children are?  They are really the most adorable and well mannered boys......just rambunctious.  

The following week I came home from church where we hold a fellowship supper and bible study.   Normally I never take home any leftovers but this particular night there was a ton of chicken  left so I piled a plate to eat the next day.   As I was walking down my hallway the Lord told me to knock on their door and offer the chicken.   She invited me in, ecstatic that they would now have chicken for dinner with their potatoes!!!!!   Now I really understood their struggle!   Her circumstances are so difficult that she had to let the nanny go and bring her mother from Bulgaria to live with them.   Four people in a one bedroom apartment.    My heart is seriously moved by their situation.   Today I dropped off a basket of fruit I was given at Walter Reed last night at a Christmas party.   You would think I gave them a ten course meal!   The grandmother insisted on giving me candy in return for the fruit.

This entire chain of events has opened my eyes to how the Lord wants us to reach out to those less fortunate and to be kind to our neighbors.   I have been blessed with new friends and two little boys who have helped me to become more patient.   As a family they have made great strides in adapting to their new lifestyle.    I am so thankful that  I heard the Lord speaking to me.  So often I pray and ask Him to use me for His glory....and I wonder how many opportunities I have missed.   In this season of giving and sharing this is a reminder to all of us that even small gestures might be appreciated in a way we may never truly realize and that it might be as close as our neighbors right next door.