Counting my blessings

[Bry Nylon]

When we are not attending fire calls / Road Traffic Accidents / floods etc etc, we carry out Home Fire Safety Visits for vunerable members of the community where we give fire safety advice, check fuse boxes and so on, and fit free smoke detectors etc.

This afternoon I went to the home of a 91 year old gentleman, who had lived with his sister for the last 30 years, till she suddenly dropped dead last week. The bloke was, emotionally, in bits, but still wanted to make tea, apologise for the mess, and kept saying sorry that he had troubled me, even though I kept telling him its my job, and paid for by his Council Tax.

When I left that house today I couldn't help but think that all things considered, most of us are pretty lucky really.

That is all.

 

[ali jenkins]

Thats too true!

Im sure there are loads of people like him around the country.

And some people wouldn't know what that guy is going through if it hit them in the head!

 

[Bry Nylon]

Yup, these are the BEST days.
Win some, lose some, but enjoy them all

 

[ditchy]

so true BN

 

[Djmiles]

When we are not attending fire calls / Road Traffic Accidents / floods etc etc, we carry out Home Fire Safety Visits for vunerable members of the community where we give fire safety advice, check fuse boxes and so on, and fit free smoke detectors etc.

This afternoon I went to the home of a 91 year old gentleman, who had lived with his sister for the last 30 years, till she suddenly dropped dead last week. The bloke was, emotionally, in bits, but still wanted to make tea, apologise for the mess, and kept saying sorry that he had troubled me, even though I kept telling him its my job, and paid for by his Council Tax.

When I left that house today I couldn't help but think that all things considered, most of us are pretty lucky really.

That is all.

Puts things into perspective doesn't it.

 

[Gully]

I think that used to be called something like the Dunkirk Spirit, the ability to carry on fighting regardless of the carnage going on around, it is still present in the UK but probably most in the generation that gentleman belongs to.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

Alasdair - what is this sentimental claptrap you're posting?? He's lived till he's 91 & his sister obviously was of a similar age. What a cracking innings!

 

[Starry]

People need to stop and count their blessings far more than 'we' ever do.

I hope that man has plenty of friends and other family around. It really bothers me the way the elderly are mistreated in this country.

My great grandmother just passed away recently aged 98, she was the oldest patient at our doctors surgery and lived in her own home surrounded by family who helped out. The doctor who attended her at home in her last days was constantly amazed that my aunt chose not to work but to look after her grandmother for years and that we hadn't decided to put nana in an old peoples home and things. Ugh.

People suck.

But, Bry, your visit to that man probably did just as much for him as it did for you.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Very true, Bry. Had a similar moment of 'perspective' very recently walking round the war museum in Malta. Those boys got bombed for 69 days in a row in WWII, a war that wasn't of their making. They loyally fought for the Allies, lost many thousands of a tiny population and put up with enormous hardship as all the supply ships were being sunk. There were a lot of cartoons in the British papers on the wall of Hitler going nuts pointing at this small island in the Med that was holding him up.

There is a very moving citation from President Roosevelt acknowledging the extraordinary courage of the Maltese people. We've had it pretty easy, us thirty-somethings.

 

[Buzzer]

Very, very true Bry. Also, I don't put my life on the line every day like you do.