As I stepped out my back door to place refuse into my trash can; my eyes caught something odd on the lawn next door. My brain didn’t immediately understand what it was seeing. I ‘THOUGHT’ I saw a neighbor, face-down, working on some issue with their home. Then, I noticed the bare feet (in Winter). Some people do interesting things like that, so I was going to go over and ‘joke’ with the person. I could only see the pant legs and feet from where I stood.
Then, my mind started to awake. ‘WHAT IF THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG? I didn’t see any movement.’ I ran back into my home to get my cell phone to take with me, as I walked over to ask if they were okay?’ After taking a few steps towards the lawn of the home next to me, I immediately started to dial 911 emergency.
I am excellent in crisis situations. I think clearly, I handle things, I get things done. The other side of the coin is, I am deeply feeling. As I gave clear address, name, found dead body, face ashy, soiled pants, eyes dead stare information to the 911 operator; I felt instant sadness that someone may be worried or looking for this woman. The LADY ON THE LAWN.
I have dealt with many challenges and trauma in my life, so I knew what to do to take care of myself and get on with living life. I stayed physically active, and called friends to talk about it. I was grateful when the police noted they knew who she was, from a home in my development. I was grateful I had found her in time, before her body was further harmed.
It’s one week before the celebration of CHRISTMAS, and just finishing Hanukah. I wrote my own eulogy for this LADY ON THE LAWN. I like to think that her final GIFT to the world was the AWARENESS of the fragility of LIFE! This is the same week that many lives were taken from school children. More angels making us AWARE of the GIFT of LIFE!
When I exited my home around Noon, today – I saw ANOTHER SIGN of THE GIFT OF LIFE! A Central Pennsylvania BLOOD MOBILE! A traveling medical unit used for persons to DONATE THE GIFT OF LIFE to someone dealing with blood loss.
It’s interesting that something like BLOOD, that can make people squeamish and pass out; gives the GIFT OF LIFE!
There are SIGNS all around us, they don’t always come in PRETTY, FESTIVE, WRAPPED PACKAGES. Sometimes these signs come from a person expression rage or confusion (via senseless acts); or from a neighbor who lived alone – and wouldn’t have been found for days – if she hadn’t wondered out of her home and expired on my neighbor’s lawn. Sometimes, it comes in the shape of a mobile blood unit.
To the ANGELS that come in all disguises, as well as THE LADY ON THE LAWN, the Loss of Life of Children in school … the blood mobile unit workers …
Thank you for the WAKE-UP CALL … the 9-1-1- CALL TO LIFE! SEEING THE LIGHT this Hanukah and Christmas time.
Blessings and awareness to all, and to all a VERY AWARE LIFE!
Helen
