In the growing insanity we live here is a man making a change, inspiring would be an understatement., page 1

reply to post by TiM3LoRd

What an amazing commitment and what an amazing human being!

We can all make a huge difference, even by doing much less than him. About 2 years ago, I met an elderly couple living down the street. The man is 75 and has Alzheimer, and his wife would like to keep him at home as long as possible so that he can continue to work in their garden, which is about the only thing that he can still handle and gives him joy. I took a liking to him from the start, and soon was stopping by regularly, just to say hello and have a chat about his past work as a carpenter. He would show me all the beautiful wood work he had done in their house, his face full of pride. He couldn't really recount very well anymore how he did everything, but just to see the pride in him was a joy for me and I grew to respect this man more than my own father. I call him Chief.

During these 2 years, it has become harder to communicate with him, though there is always a huge smile on his face as soon as he sees me. But I can't really chat with him anymore, so I usually spend a little more time talking to his wife and listening to how everything is going. I have told her that I will do what I can to help out so that he can keep living there a while longer, and that I am only a phone call away in case there is something urgent. There hasn't really been anything urgent yet, but she does ask me once in a while to help him in their garden with things she no longer trusts him with, like a chain saw or other dangerous tools.

Being there for these people takes only a couple hours out of my week, so it is not much of an effort at all. But my point is that it isn't about the effort, it's about the joy and meaning it adds to my own life, which is worth so much more than a little time and effort. The elderly still have values that are hard to find in most younger people today, and that alone is enough for me. It is impossible for me not to respect that and show my gratitude, and It makes me feel so much better about myself. It just feels like the right thing to do.

Once in a while, I tell someone about this man and his wife and how I enjoy visiting them and helping out. The sad thing is that more often than not, I will see a puzzled look on their face, like they don't understand or they think maybe I have nothing better to do. They don't have a clue about what they are missing out on.

Even if you only spare 15 minutes in a week, you can be making a huge difference in someone's life. A measly 15 minutes. And soon you will realize that they are giving more to you, than you to them.

Give it a try if you haven't already.