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sand castle

Photo by Karl Frederickson on Unsplash
The other day we received an email from a friend visiting family in California. This is the story he shared...

 Guys, as most of you know from past emails, a 45-minute walk to the coffee shop happens with me while here in California several times a week.

 Yesterday, after arriving and seated with my freshly made ham sandwich from the grocery store and with my usual pour-over, my life was perfect in every way.  An occurrence then happened which I had never experienced and will probably never forget.  

 Facing the two front doors of the coffee shop, they were both pulled open, and a motorized wheelchair appeared with a man inside being operated by his wife (I believe).....This was not the ordinary wheelchair that we are all familiar . This was the Stephen Hawking variety (in some ways).

 The normal talking, and noise of the coffee shop came to an abrupt stop.  Everyone was just mesmerized. The couple proceeded to a table next to mine. I never watched anyone as attentive as she was to this man.  She bent down in front of him and told him the coffee flavors. His head was cushioned so he could not move it. He responded by moving his eyebrows (not eyelids)  and his eyes would move....never saw him move any other part of his body.  She would rearrange his arms and hands from time to time.  She would take his soft sandals off and turn them over  from time to time. They were soft on both sides.

 She ordered one small coffee for the two of them.  Added sweetener and milk.  Gave him a very small amount in a spoon and asked him if sweet enough.  He replied with his eyebrows. She went back to add small amount of sweetener.

 I could hear everything that she said.  So loving and kind.  I assumed he could hear, or he could read her lips. She talked about bringing blankets so they would be warm when they watched the sunset. She pulled out her phone and pulled up a photo and put the phone so he could see it and said, "Remember this sand castle that Rob built? I brought his bucket and shovel so I could make one like it when we go to see the sunset."

 We take so much for granted.
Photo by Frank Mckenna on Unsplash





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