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It is never easy to say goodbye. This month Open Hands Midway has been saddened by the unexpected death of two volunteers, David Bower and Robin Peterson.
I met David in 2015 when I was speaking at the ELCA Hunger Conference. He was very interested in the work being done at Open Hands Midway and wanted to become a volunteer. He faithfully served each week from 2015 to 2022 when an unexpected health issue arose. While he worked at OT and PT for the last 1 1/2 years, he was never able to overcome all the effects of the health issue, the last issue being a broken hip. He died a few days later. In 2019 Open Hands Midway were invited guests (four of us) at a Minnesota United Soccer game. Open Hands Midway was honored at the game as recipients of the L'Etoile du Nord (Star of the North) award and I had the pleasure of inviting David to attend. I miss him, love him and am extremely grateful that we got to be good friends, just sayin'...
I got to know Robin when her husband and my Mom were both dealing with Alzheimer's disease. We were part of a caregivers support group. Robin was also a faithful volunteer who would come once a month with her church group to help set up, prepare and serve at the Monday meal. Robin came for the morning shift and often took time to get the desserts ready and any other food preparation that we needed extra help with. She was such a happy person, always smiling and laughing. After her husband died, Robin took time to travel and enjoy your family. I am grateful for having been her friend and miss her very much, just sayin'...
I have a story to share from a recent day of food shelf service. One of the guests, I will call him Jay, who I spoke to as he arrived was walking with a visible limp. Wait! I need to give you a little back story on Jay. I do not know when exactly he began coming to our meal and food shelf programs. When he first would come he hardly smiled or said a word. I greeted him each time hoping that one day I could just get him to say hi. Well one day he finally said hi, but still no smile. Fast forward awhile to a day he came for a meal and as he was leaving he gave me a fist bump. I thought, oh progress! Soon he would start smiling AND giving me a fist bump. Then one day I was totally shocked as he stopped, looked at my name tag and said, "Kay, I mean Special K, I like you, you're good people, thanks", and he walked out the door. I smiled, thinking about this exchange and how it meant something to me that we had made a connection. Well now back to my story of the day he arrived for the food shelf. I asked him, "Jay, what happened that you are limping?" He said, "I hurt my feet." Then he said, "Well actually my shoes are too small for me making my feet hurt." I pointed out a flyer for Joseph's Coat, a place that offers free clothing, and suggested he try there to see if they could help him. I then asked, "What size shoes do you wear?" He said, "Why?" I said, "I might know someone who can help you out, but I'm not promising anything." He smiled and said, "11. Well maybe 11.5. Ok, it better be a 12" and we both laughed. The next day I got to thinking about the 'someone' who could help, yes, I thought, why not me, I can help! I know he likes the color red so I began to look online for men's size 12 red tennis shoes. I was able to find a pair at a reasonable price so I bought them. Then I waited for them to arrive. They came. Then I waited for Jay to come for a meal. He came and as he walked in the door I said, "Jay, I have a surprise for you. Go get your meal and see me before you leave." When he came back I had the package with the shoes inside. He walked up to me and I said,' Jay, this is a gift from me, I hope you like them." He looked inside and said, "These will work." I said, Great, can I get a hug?" He hugged me and thanked me, and gave me a fist bump as he left. I am now looking forward to seeing Jay in his new shoes and hope that his feet will stop hurting.
A core value of Open Hands Midway is "Everyone has gifts to share", this was my gift to share with Jay. A simple act of caring, I need no praise or anything in return. In a world where people are all to possessive of our money, our time and more, I am grateful for the chance to share what I can, how I can, and when I can with others. I thank my Mom and Dad for teaching me to care about others, just sayin'....
Speaking of sharing gifts, this year marks the 15th anniversary of Open Hands Midway serving our beloved community. We have a goal of raising $15,000.00 during this year and we are asking for your assistance. If you are so inclined to help you can make a donation by clicking here, scroll down and select the '$15 for 15 years campaign' OR you can mail a check made payable to Open Hands Midway and mail it to: 436 Roy St. N., St. Paul, MN 55104. Please write '15th Year Anniversary' in the memo line. In a world where more and more people are struggling to make ends meet, our services are becoming more essential than ever. We hope you will consider helping us help as we continue to help our neighbors in need, just sayin'...
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