Thursday, July 13, 2017

Caregiver Chronicles: When Peppy Music Pepped Sam Right Out of the Bed


Tuesday night, we had a senior adult meeting at church. A woman was scheduled to play Southern gospel for the program and Sam wanted to go.

On Saturday, he'd been so weak I'd had to feed him with a spoon. He couldn't even sit up. Tuesday, he felt like he could make the trip. Standing was still a wobbly adventure, though, so we opted for the wheelchair. 

I rolled him into the room, positioned him at a table, and headed to the buffet line to get him a plate. Sam is very particular about what he thinks he can eat, so I filled a plate with the options I thought he was most likely to eat and headed back to the table. To my surprise, he ate almost everything on the plate. 

When the music started, Sam was transfixed. The performer was an excellent pianist with a spirited repertoire. Within a few minutes, he was smiling and tapping his feet. He loved the program. He enjoyed the speaker, Jim Spencer, who gave a devotional on finishing strong.

Sam talked all the way home about the music, and he's still talking about it. "It pepped me up," he keeps telling me, and it seems to have done just that. Yesterday, Sam had a flat tire. He felt so peppy, he went outside, repaired a connection on his air pump, and aired up his tire. 

When we went to church last night, we used the wheelchair, but he thought it was a strong possibility he could've walked. As I helped him into his house, Sam said words I still can't believe:

"That music pepped me up so much that it made me feel a lot better. I believe I'll be able to cut the grass tomorrow. I'm gonna feed the horses for you, too." 

This...from a man who couldn't sit up on Saturday.

Sam's certain the music has done a work in him and brought about his improvement. I'm equally sure it's the result of all the prayers of people around the world who've been praying on his behalf. Regardless, that music pepped Sam out of the bed, out of the wheelchair, and back to his walker. 

"I might just get over this," Sam told me before I left him last night. 

"Sam, you're 87 years old and you have Parkinson's. You don't get well from that."

He just grinned. "You never know."

"...the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." James 5:16b nasb

(Thanks to all who have prayed. Please don't stop!) 
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In case you missed it, here's the link to yesterday's post: Pigpen Parables: The Place of the Piggy Heart

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