AN AMAZING ACT OF KINDNESS.

AN AMAZING ACT OF KINDNESS.

I lost my mother a few days ago to heart failure.  At 91 years old, Nancy was still working as a Realtor until a week before she passed away, managing her rental properties and taking care of her husband.  Over the years, her husband had suffered many heart attacks and several strokes, so taking care of him was a full time responsibility.  She refused to allow anyone else to help so all I could do was be there if she needed me.  She did allow a housekeeper to come and clean but Nancy still did most of the cooking and laundry on her own.

When my mother became ill, I arranged for nursing care for her husband and he moved into a full care facility.  At first, it appeared that she would recover so she left the hospital and moved to the same care facility with her husband.  A few days later, she took a turn for the worse and was taken back to the hospital where she passed away peacefully.

It was my responsibility to break the news to her husband so I coordinated my task with the floor nurses and the physician.  The doctor prescribed a sedative to help him get to sleep and the nurses got him into bed so he would be settled in for the night.  I proceeded to explain to him what happened and we talked for some time.  He was quite upset as expected but I could only listen and reassure him that we all cared about him and that he would be well taken care of.  He then asked me to call the nurse that had been taking care of him, so I did.

What took place at that time was nothing short of amazing.  Maria, his nurse came in and sat down on the edge of the bed, held his hand and put her other hand on his shoulder.  She looked right into his eyes and listened to everything he said for the next 20 minutes.  He cried and told her all about his wife, their lives together and how scared and lost he was without her.  Maria listened to every word and she told him that his wife was still with him and would always be there in his heart. I can’t even begin to remember all the beautiful things she said to him as I sat there listening to an angel comforting someone in need.  She stayed right there until he fell asleep and then she quietly left the room.

I have witnessed many things from my time in the military and law enforcement, but I have never seen anyone show so much compassion and understanding as this nurse, Maria displayed that night.  I was truly stunned to watch this beautiful person spend so much time and energy to comfort another person.  This was truly an amazing act of kindness.

Perhaps this world of ours may still have hope of surviving when there are people like this in our presence.  Thank you Maria of The Meadows Care Facility in Napa, California. You are truly an Angel!

Doug Bullwinkel is a licensed California Mortgage Loan Originator, NMLS #281609 for Vitek Mortgage with over 30 years in the Real Estate and Mortgage Industry. He specializes in Niche loan programs including the CalPERM-CalPERS Member Program, VA and CalVet for Veterans, FHA, USDA, FNMA Homepath, CalHFA and down payment assistance programs. His website is LenderSolutions.com. Doug can be reached at (800) 636-8910 for more information.

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