A Little Elbow Grease

--by churchlady, posted Feb 19, 2008

A few weeks ago I went on a short vacation with my fiance to visit his older brother who lives about 300 miles from us. I'd never met the man before, so I was a bit anxious.

I knew that the fellow had lost his wife several years ago, but what I didn't know was that he had nearly completely shut down. Although still able to work, he was completely unable to look after the house. Memories of his wife still haunt him today.

It is my habit to try to pitch in wherever I visit. I was raised to help with dishes after a meal and to offer help whenever visiting anyone. Well, I had the opportunity to do just that! Likely because I was a stranger to him, this man opened up to me about his wife like he hadn't to his family. I offered to try to make some sense out of "her" kitchen as it had been left pretty much since her death. (He would enter the kitchen long enough to make something to eat and leave again, giving the dishes "a lick and a promise" before fleeing.) There were beautiful ornaments around the house that hadn't seen a dust cloth in many years.

So...here was my chance to try to help this man. We visited for four days and I spent most of the daylight hours dusting and sorting things in the house, fixing the vaccuum and then running it through. It was no walk in the park, but little by little it began to look better.

When we finally left to go home, my future brother-in-law thanked me sincerely, giving me a very big hug, and said that finally he thought he could hire a housekeeper. What a gift to be able to assist someone and see the change wrought from a little "elbow grease".

2749 Reads

Posted by churchlady
Feb 19, 2008
Comments (10)

Readers Comments

perseverance wrote: Great one thanks

Woelwaters wrote: You understood a lot when dealing with him. You made love real to him. Great work!

liztree wrote: How wonderful! What a precious gift to give. Thank you for sharing this story.

Barry wrote: Your hard work paid off in the end and he was left happy and content. Your kindness is wonderful.

butterfly wrote: you are a shining angel. thank you so much for your unconditional love and kindness that you share in this world. you are an inspiration. thank you. love and light xx

katlampi wrote: I love personalized favors like this. It is certainly not an easy task, but probably much easier for you to do it than for him to do it since it is so emotionally-laden. Thank you for sharing this, churchlady! I have enjoyed your stories greatly! :)

EvieG wrote: That´s such a great story. Thanks for sharing it...

JuneBug wrote: I've done this before myself...Not an easy task like you said but well worth it when you see the difference...I am sure you are appreciated! :}

AURELIA wrote: Wow, that's an inspiring story! You are wonderful and caring to help out like that. He can now move on with his life and hold on to the wonderful memories of his wife. Thank you for listening and helping him clean up too. ~Aurelia

MakeSomeoneSmile wrote: That is great! Bless you for your kindness and for helping others!

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