Bits & Pieces by Don Eskins
If you ask people which holiday is their most favorite, many will say that, while they do love the Christmas season, it’s Thanksgiving.
Their reasons for that choice, as they see it, are rather obvious. First, they don’t have to worry about shopping for presents, and secondly, they don’t have to spend so much time putting up decorations and taking them down, as they do during the yuletide season.
They feel Thanksgiving is a time to share a great meal and some quality time with their families and friends.
Others would add that because Thanksgiving isn’t so hectic, it does give them time to reflect on the many blessings they have received, both big and small.
Often, they like to share stories about all the wonderful things they have to be thankful for with members of their family and friends.
Today, I’d like to share one of my own. While its content might seem rather small to most, not so for a grandmother battling COPD.
A Move to the Ozarks
In 2013, my wife, Pat, and I decided to relocate to Springfield, MO. After battling COPD for several years, the southwest heat, wind, and dust were beginning to cause her some respiratory problems.
According to all we had read, a lower elevation, cleaner air, and an abundance of good health care could help improve her quality of life, and it has.
To date, my wife has been battling COPD for 20-plus years. And, although she does get out, she’s much more limited in the things she can do. That’s especially true during the fall and winter months when COVID and the flu bug are at their peak.
However, there are some events that grandparents, such as us, just can’t miss regardless of when they take place—events like a high school football game set to kick off in Portales on Friday, November 8.
Our grandson, Gideon, a senior, would be playing in the game. In no way was my wife going to miss out on getting to watch him play at least one game during his final year of eligibility.
The Road to Portales
Although my wife wasn’t feeling quite up to par during the week of his game, we decided to make the trip anyway. With or without me, she was going to Portales.
As the game was on Friday, November 8, we decided to leave on Wednesday, November 6, spend the night in Clinton, OK, and arrive in Portales on Thursday, November 7. That would give us some time to visit, and my wife would be able to rest up most all day for the game on Friday.
However, as often happens to seniors when making travel plans, we were unable to leave on Wednesday. As a result, we departed on Thursday and arrived in Portales during the mid-afternoon hours on Friday.
But we were there, wearing our Portales Ram red and looking forward to watching Gideon play. With the aid of her scooter and a very nice section for the handicapped and disabled, we had a front-row seat right on the 40-yard line.
However, as the game progressed, I noticed Pat was beginning to have some problems breathing. At the half-time break, I took her back to our daughter’s home. Her condition worsened overnight, and on Saturday morning, I was contemplating putting her in the hospital.
But, after giving it some thought, we decided to head home. Remarkably, by the time we got back to Springfield, she was doing rather well.
A Blessing Well Received
Having had time to get some rest and a cup of coffee, Pat and I began to talk about our trip back to the southwest. Arriving in Portales on Friday afternoon and having to leave on Saturday morning wasn’t on our itinerary, but for this grandmother, the excursion to Portales was time well spent. She was especially thankful for the wrinkles in our plans for traveling.
“You know, God works in mysterious ways sometimes,” she said with a smile. ‘Had we left on Wednesday, as we’d planned, I wouldn’t have gotten to watch my grandson play football.”
All’s well and thankful in Springfield, MO. Happy Thanksgiving, Carlsbad!
Comentarios