Another story from the road.....

A couple of weeks ago, my favorite rider, Jack, no longer needed rides to see his wife in a nursing home. They were going to try having her back at home. This was great news, though I knew that I would miss my time with Jack. However, I figured it would allow me to take a couple of Fridays off from volunteering and get to my neglected holiday shopping. I planned to start back up volunteering again in the new year.

This Tuesday, I got a call from one of our great partner agencies, MFS Project Linkage, saying that Jack and his wife were going in for an evaluation at a different hospital. Apparently Jack’s wife would still require around-the-clock care after all. I picked up Jack and we drove home from the hospital.

The new facility was farther away than the old one so we had more time to talk. He told me that he was sad that his wife had to go back in, but he had no choice. Jack let me know that he goes to dialysis three days a week and with his low vision it was almost impossible to give his wife the proper care on his own.

On the way home, he asked me if I could take him to Safeway to go grocery shopping. Without a doubt I could. While helping shop for his groceries (two crabs and two turkey sandwiches), it reminded me of helping my own grandparents and how much I missed them, especially around the holiday season. Just when I had that thought, (right on cue, as if I was shopping with my grandmother rather than Jack), he tried to slip some money into my pocket. I politely declined, which frustrated him. I told him I would bring a donation envelope next time. He grudgingly accepted my compromise and then asked if he could buy me a sandwich or crab, I think jokingly. Again, I politely declined and we made our way back to the car.

In the car we continued our language lessons that I had missed for the past few weeks. I am fluent in English with some fading French skills and Jack speaks Vietnamese and French fluently and is building his English skills. It seems that crab in French is crabe, who knew? Well, I do now because of Jack.

During this holiday season please considering donating your time or making a charitable contribution to Ride Connection, so individuals like Jack can not only see their loved ones, but also enjoy a little bit of the holidays as well….