Substitute Hugs

Sunday night , on the way home from church, I stopped to visit a dear old saint of our church. She was diagnosed w/Parkinsons several years back, and it recently has bedridden her. Her swallowing ability has left her, and she is sleeping a lot. In fact, when I stepped n the house, the caregiver, (also one of my altos) told me Miss Jane had been sleeping for almost 24 hours, and even changing her and her bed had not awaken her. I said I would go in to speak to her anyway, just in case she could hear me. I told her how much I appreciated her prayers for Garrett before his homegoing, and her prayers for us since. As I was speaking, she opened her eyes and turned her head towards me. I told her I was sorry she was unable to communicate with me, sorry she could no longer attend church and but that she was probably close to her homegoing and seeing her husband again, family and friends and most of all her Saviour were enough to make me jealous. Of course, I told her, I could beat her there, that I might not even make it home that night from her house. And then, where this came from, I don't know. I said, "Miss Jane, if you make it up there before I do, would you do me a favor?" She looked at me and her eyes widened. "Would you go look up Brandon, Garrett and Jennifer, and hug their necks for me? I am really missing them right now, and if you could just hug their necks and tell them I love em', and "WAR EAGLE" for me, it would mean so much." I'd swear she frowned when I said that cause she is Bama thru & thru. But I have no doubts she'll pull it off.
For some reason this week has really been tough mentally and emotionaly for Janell & me. I've had to get up a few times and leave the office for a few minutes. I've had to clear my eyes because the wipers on my car couldn't seem to "clear the windshield". And when I try to post, it's as though my fingers weigh a ton and the screen and keyboard won't stay in focus. Just couldn't get into it. Janell says it's starting to sink in that he's not gonna call for "dinner reservations for 2". That she won't have to patch or sew up those holy khaki shorts for the 137th time. That she literally has nothing of his like we do Brandon's, for Garrett had moved the last load of his stuff out just a couple of weeks before the storm, because she told him it had been in boxes in the floor long enough. But as we well know, these days and weeks will inevitably repeat themselves for about the first year. And they hit when you least expect them. So when you see Janell or me anytime in the next year, remember, we accept substitue hugs as well as ask others to deliver them.
I'll be back.