Part II
One wonderfully and particularly refreshing favor is to
provide the patient with a thermos full of crushed ice!
Nothing is more refreshing than a small bit of ice melting in
your mouth. The liquid trickles slowly into the tummy and
seems to be easily accepted even by the most queasy of
patients. This treat is routinely available at the major
hospitals in my hometown in America and the bottles are
refilled upon request.
My mother imitated this at home and we were always delighted.
The ice won't spill as water does. A child won't drink more
than his stomach can handle as he takes the ice one spoon at
a time. It can even keep an antsy kid pretty busy and
interested, but won't overtax a weak and suffering invalid. I
have been told gratefully that patients with hepatitis could
literally take nothing else into the stomach and retain it.
The crushed ice was the perfect remedy.
You have to be careful that the crushed pieces aren't too
big. If it takes too long to melt in the mouth, it might be
too cold to hang onto. My mother used to place an ice cube in
a `baggy' and rap it firmly with the back of a heavy
tablespoon or the bottom of a glass. One or two raps would
crush an ice cube nicely. It's worth the bother! If you have
a blender, that's great! If you don't have a wide-mouthed
thermos to keep at the bedside, then you can give a quarter
of a deep cereal bowl at a time.
My mother, she should live and be well, had some other sweet
ideas. She would put a small wildflower from the grass in the
yard -- a dandelion or clover, on the food tray, when she
served us in bed. She would also fold a nurse's cap, the
triangular boat one makes from newspaper etc., for one of the
toddlers, to urge him/her to get into the role of being
helpful when there was an invalid in the house. The adorable
sight of a curly-headed toddler in a cap running to bring
something to the bedside is enough to remove at least a few
sixtieths of the discomfort!
xxxx illustration herexxx
A small rattle or bell would be placed at the bedside for us
to call her without expending the energy we didn't have, and
a small bag would be safety-pinned (remember those sturdy
diaper pins?) to the side of the mattress for convenient
disposal of used tissues. [An ironing board with a nice
tablecloth thrown over doubles as an excellent adjustable
bedside table for books, towel, tissues, games, drinks,
neigelvasser etc.]
If the child felt up to it, she would turn a chair upside
down behind the pillow to raise him to a reading or playing
position. We felt so pampered, it was hard to admit when we
began to feel better!
I have always found significance in my major or minor
mishaps, even if it was simply that the break from my normal
routine and my dependence on others woke me up to the many
favors Hashem has showered upon me:
* Loyal family and friends who were willing and eager to come
to my aid.
* The opportunity to discuss serious topics with others who
would not have found the time or the urgency to broach such
matters.
* Opportunity to review what I've experienced and decide
which acts were worth repeating and which to drop from my
agenda.
* Time to (voraciously) read inspiring and informative books,
which increased my understanding of my own worth and the
importance of recognizing my mission on earth.
* Time to pray with all my heart and with no `important'
duties distracting me.
I was once invited to cheer up a woman I hardly knew. She was
suffering from a deadly disease and it was uncertain whether
she would be able to pull through, altogether. Everyone was
frightened and she asked us if we thought she had a chance of
living. We were quite dumbfounded because we didn't know the
situation at all. However, we knew that the whole community
was praying for her day and night.
With so much concern confronting the Heavenly Tribunal, we
didn't feel we had any reason not to encourage her, no matter
how dire the situation looked. Boruch Hashem, she is back on
her feet and still going in for treatment. No matter how
difficult it is to have to answer such a question, there was
only one reason we had gone to see her -- to provide her with
the hope that she would recover and soon join us in the
helter-skelter of daily life again.
On the way back from the hospital, I was nearly run over as I
crossed from the main sidewalk to a traffic island. The
driver had been looking to the left to see if he could get
out into the traffic and he started to drive before he
checked to see if there was anyone on the crosswalk. He was
inconsolable that he'd put me in such a terrifying situation.
I had only been pushed nearer to my companion than we'd
expected and neither of us fell or was injured in the least.
I usually go on visits alone and I was overjoyed that someone
had accompanied me and kept me from falling and that the
driver had stepped on the brakes immediately.
On my way to the hospital to visit, I had been thinking that
no one knows when the Angel of Death will carry the soul back
up to the Heavenly Tribunal. Who knows if someone in the
hospital, fearing for his/her life, may not turn out to be
the one to fully recover till 120 and comfort the family of
one of the former visitors!
We're all in Hashem's loving hands. Let us visit the sick to
cheer them on their path back to earning everlasting life and
pray for health and the coming of Moshiach!
