A favor being returned
Monday July 19th 2010, 10:09 pm
Filed under: Family,Friends,Life

As we anxiously wait to hear more.

Let me start off with this link from two years ago to tell Natalie’s mom she’s not alone. My daughter was in school at BYU at the time; her daughter’s on an internship here, the same distance away from home.

Michelle is very protective of me re germ exposure and my impulse to jump in the car with her wasn’t worth the time the argument was going to take if I pursued it.  But I thanked her as she walked out the door.

She stopped in her tracks and shot back in her worry, Mom! To do anything else would be unthinkable and immoral!

Well, yes, of course, and she saw that clearly and dropped everything during a heavy day at her job; that’s why I was so proud of her.

She had met Natalie at a church young adults party. Natalie asked if she might have a ride home to where she was staying for the summer, and it turned out to be right in our immediate neighborhood anyway, so it went from sure, glad to help, to, oh cool! They were friends on the spot.

That made it so Natalie had someone in a town she didn’t know that she knew she could turn to.

Good thing.  Last night there was a call; she had a fever. The older woman whose house she was staying at was out of town.  We knew Natalie had no car, and a bike gets you nowhere when you’re at 102.  So when she said she had no aspirin or anything, did we, would we mind terribly? It was an of course and oh honey and I heard Michelle on the phone insisting that she call her any time in the night or day if she needed any help as she rummaged through our medicine cabinet before dashing over.  We found the meds. We sent along a new pillow for her, too, trying to make her comfortable.

We all had a feeling that wasn’t the end of it. I told Michelle last night not to worry about the car today, just assume it was hers if Natalie needed her.  We all said she was welcome to spend the night here, as a matter of fact we’d rather that than having her be sick and alone… But she did not.

The call came this afternoon and the very sound in her voice got Michelle’s instant attention. I know from an experience of mine at about that age how hard it is to go off to see some doctor you’ve never heard of in a town you don’t know, but it had gotten to the point that she knew she had to. Michelle was out the door in a flash, stopping only long enough to make that protest of but of COURSE!

Urgent Care took one look at her and said, Stanford ER. Go. We think it’s appendicitis.

Shirley, meantime, the woman she’d been staying with, came home from visiting her grandchildren and is now off at the hospital to be there for her–where I dearly wish I were, too.

I owe that.  But I am so grateful to her and Michelle, too, who took up the cause on all three mothers’ behalf as well as Natalie’s from the start.


9 Comments so far
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Hugs and prayers all around. Waiting is the hardest part, eh?

Don’t feel you haven’t helped, personally. You’ve raised this amazing daughter, and provided her with all she needs for this moment.

Comment by Barbara-Kay 07.20.10 @ 4:44 am

Way back in the dark ages, I was visiting colleges before making “the” decision. I was all alone, in California! (U of P), and I got such bad cornea abrasion from my contacts I wanted to pluck my eyes out. Somehow I got downstairs to the main dorm desk. They hussled up a taxi and he took me to the ER. He was still sitting there when I came out, he took me to a 24 hour pharamacy for the salve to help me last the night until I went home. He got me back to the dorm and told me to be ready in the morning for my flight home – he would take me to the airport and we work out the money then. There he was in the morning, and it took him talking the police into letting him break through a parade and go down the wrong way on a one way street to get me to the airport on time. What did he charge me for all those trips? One fare to the airport, regular route, not even including the detour. When I asked him why? Why wasn’t he charging me? He look at me and said

“I have a daughter your age back home. I hope someday someone would help her when she needed it.”

Which was his way of saying “To do anything else would be unthinkable and immoral!”

Tell her thank you from me, okay?

Comment by afton 07.20.10 @ 4:59 am

I can’t remember where I read that all members of one family don’t necessarily live under the same roof…

Your family is extending to someone else’s and such kindness proves the truth of this, I think.

Hugs to all of you!

Comment by Suzanne in Montreal 07.20.10 @ 5:28 am

Oh goodness! Prayers while we wait… In the meantime, what joy it must bring to see (again) that your daughter has your compassion and care.

Comment by Channon 07.20.10 @ 6:36 am

you did a really good job mom (isn’t it wonderful to see that in our children — that instant correct response!)

prayers are being sent up for your whole “extended” family

Comment by Bev 07.20.10 @ 7:15 am

The first thought that popped into my head as I read the above was, “Like mother; like daughter.” I doubt the Hyde family has a nasty bone in the collective body. Prayers for all involved.

Comment by Don Meyer 07.20.10 @ 9:01 am

Oh my! Keeping Natalie in my thoughts- it’s miserable being sick alone and away from home. Thank goodness you and Michelle were there for her!

Comment by RobinH 07.20.10 @ 2:02 pm

I hope that Natalie is recovering!! She is so very lucky to have your family in her corner. As someone who has relied on the generosity of new friends in a trying medical time, I have a good idea of just how grateful she feels…I’m so thankful there are such wonderful people in the world. With love…

Comment by Kelli 07.27.10 @ 11:09 pm

Your heart must be busting open with pride and joy at your daughter’s response. I am hoping to hear in the next post I read (as I catch up after vacation) that all is well.

Comment by twinsetellen 07.28.10 @ 6:56 pm



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