Cleaning for Mrs. S.
This summer I worked a lot of small jobs to earn some extra cash for my study abroad. Some of the normal stuff like babysitting, watching cats while their owner was on vacation. One opportunity that came along was cleaning and doing small jobs around the house for a woman who went to my church.
The first day I arrived ready to work and kind of expecting to meet a little old lady. However when Mrs. S opened the door, she was about my mother's age and she seemed to be in a lot of pain. We sat down and talked about what the job entailed and she told me a little about herself. She explained that she had had back surgery this past spring and she could not stand for long periods of time, forget clean the house. Her husband had to pick up another job to help pay for her treatments, so he was always dead tired when he got home. Thus began our relationship.
I cleaned for her twice a week after work for about 4 hours a week. In return she shared about her life, what she had learned being a mother, Christian and someone in physical pain. At first I really dreaded the days I had to go to her house just because it made my day so long. As the summer went on, we began to get more comfortable around one another. We talked while I cleaned. I usually just listened to all of the stories from her travels, kids and grandkids.
It became less about the money and more about spending time with Mrs. S and picking her brain on all the things life threw at her. I don't know what it was that made me switch from "Man, what is an excuse I can give to not go over there today" to "Is it already time for me to leave?".
Due to her medications she often forgot what day it was or where she was, so she would repeat her stories to me but she told them with the same excitement and enthusiasm as if she was telling me the first time..
Mrs. S. gave me a lot more than a little extra cash for my trip this fall. She taught me that a Christian struggles at every age, the man you love is worth fighting for, children are the greatest gifts in life. Most of all-- you have no control over what happens here on this earth, but there are wonderful, glorious things awaiting you in Heaven.
The first day I arrived ready to work and kind of expecting to meet a little old lady. However when Mrs. S opened the door, she was about my mother's age and she seemed to be in a lot of pain. We sat down and talked about what the job entailed and she told me a little about herself. She explained that she had had back surgery this past spring and she could not stand for long periods of time, forget clean the house. Her husband had to pick up another job to help pay for her treatments, so he was always dead tired when he got home. Thus began our relationship.
I cleaned for her twice a week after work for about 4 hours a week. In return she shared about her life, what she had learned being a mother, Christian and someone in physical pain. At first I really dreaded the days I had to go to her house just because it made my day so long. As the summer went on, we began to get more comfortable around one another. We talked while I cleaned. I usually just listened to all of the stories from her travels, kids and grandkids.
It became less about the money and more about spending time with Mrs. S and picking her brain on all the things life threw at her. I don't know what it was that made me switch from "Man, what is an excuse I can give to not go over there today" to "Is it already time for me to leave?".
Due to her medications she often forgot what day it was or where she was, so she would repeat her stories to me but she told them with the same excitement and enthusiasm as if she was telling me the first time..
Mrs. S. gave me a lot more than a little extra cash for my trip this fall. She taught me that a Christian struggles at every age, the man you love is worth fighting for, children are the greatest gifts in life. Most of all-- you have no control over what happens here on this earth, but there are wonderful, glorious things awaiting you in Heaven.
#macyprobs
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