Because my sister in law is a long time employee of CVS, that is our pharmacy of choice. After my mom got sick, the employees of Laurel CVS bent over backwards to accommodate our family. Mr. Denny (the pharmacist) has been very hands-on with my mom. Though he deals with SO many people on a daily basis, he greets my mom by her name and seems knowledgeable about her situation each time we go in. Heather, a long time employee at the pharmacy also greets my mom with a smile and asks for updates each time we go. When my mom first got sick, Cynthia, another CVS employee, actually GAVE my mom a nebulizer! This was an amazing gesture, considering my mom had NO insurance and depended on her weekly pay check just to live. So, needless to say, CVS will always have a place in my heart. After leaving the clinic, I dropped off Neva's prescription off at CVS with some friendly, familiar faces and we headed over to Shipleys for some lunch. 5,000 calories and a couple new stretch marks later, we went to mamas to check on her.
She seemed to actually be having a good day. She was still in her pajamas, but that isn't unusual. She was smiling and seemed comfortable. I realized she had not taken her medicine for the day, and I laid it out for her. She took it with no resistance (update: she has taken her appetite stimulant for a whole week straight!!!!). Then I went to put the girls down for nap in her extra bedroom. When I woke up, I could hear Don, mom's Hospice nurse in the living room with her. I quietly snuck out of bed and headed into the living room to hear what was going on (after all, that is the MAIN reason I was there....To hear what the nurse had to say). He checked her out, and noticed that she had a ringworm on her arm! (EW!). He told us what OTC ointment to buy, made sure she didn't need anything else besides the meal replacement drinks he had brought in with him, shared a couple funny stories with us, then headed on his way. I like the way he makes mom feel at ease. He cracks jokes and tells stories from his personal life, but finds a way to tie it in to her serious situation.
After he left, I found out that though mom's appetite is okay, she had not eaten all day. SO I thought about some of her favorite foods, and decided to make her a BIG pot of vegetable soup and a pan of cornbread. The kids woke up while I was cooking and mom spent a little bit of QT with them until I finished. Sadly, Neva still wasn't feeling well. Just like most Grandmas, mom cant STAND it when the girls are sick. Reading that Neva probably wanted to be at home to rest, I quickly washed mom's dishes and started getting everyone loaded up. Even though mom don't feel like doing alot of housework, it REALLY bothers her when I do it. "this makes me feel bad", "Please just come sit down", "that's good enough"......These are some of the statements I hear while I'm doing something small at her house. I have to save the BIG projects for when she is not there. Her favorite comment is "It's not YOUR job to work every time you come over here". So I started thinking about that comment....
If everyone just did "their job" and nothing more, what kind of world would this be? The enjoyable moments of your day include various people doing more than their share. The sweet cashier that tells you about a special sale that's going on, the waitress that smiles and makes conversation, the pharmacy that sympathizes with your situation, the clinic that WANTS your family to be well, and the nurse that works diligently to put a patient at ease---thank God our days are blessed with these people going beyond the call of duty.
After a lifetime of my my mama working, sacrificing, and going above and beyond "her job" as mother to me and my brothers, it IS our job to pay her back. It is a job that I take seriously and enjoy doing. I wouldn't have it any other way. So quit complaining, lady.
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