Today I was bored supervising academic study hall, and while I should have been filling the time with grading, I was blog-surfing. I happened upon a blog about a mom caring for her daughter with ALS (Lou Gerhig's Disease).
One of my high school best friends' dad had ALS. High school was challenging for her because she couldn't really be a kid like the rest of us; she had a lot of responsibilities at home helping her mom and three sisters care for their daddy. They did all of his care themselves. They had a family business and my friend was the baby of the family, so her mom and older sisters took turns in shifts during the day at work and taking care of dad. My sweet friend worked on the weekend and all summer in her turns. Yet, in spite of those challenges, that household was full of love. Those girls banded together like none I've seen to fight for their dad and fill their roles as needed. Everyone in that family loved the Lord and it was evident.
Probably the most wretched part of ALS is that while your body ceases to function, your mind never does. My friend's dad had a little bell he could buzz when he needed something. He also often used it to communicate with all of his girls. My most cherished memory of that home happened one afternoon when my friend and I were studying together for our calculus class. (Let's be honest...when my friend was trying her darndest to help me understand caluculus before our test.) My friend's mom walked in the door after a long day of work, carrying groceries. Suddenly, that little buzzing bell in the downstairs bedroom started going like crazy. My friend's mom shouted the Korean equivalent of "I'm coming!" but the buzzing didn't stop. A huge smile broke out on her face, and she started laughing, feinging annoyance and rolling her eyes. She bustled about, dropping bags and putting a few things in place. Finally, she scurried to her husband's room. We could hear her kiss him and hear her voice speaking lowly and sweetly. After a few minutes, she walked out, and the buzzing picked up again. She laughed, and so did we, and she went back in. This probably happened three or four times.
It was one of the most romantic moments I've ever witnessed.
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