For years I have felt that hospitals are sacred places. It is where lives begin, end, and are changed in a moment. I have volunteered and worked in them for years and am very comfortable there, but when C was lifeflighted to Primary Children's Hospital last year I was devastated. There were few bright spots during that dark time. I was beside myself with fury toward Heavenly Father and I was inconsolable.
During our time at Primary a friend told us about the Ronald McDonald Family Room. The first time we walked in there I felt a small measure of peace. It did not look, feel, or smell like the hospital and it was a calming oasis amid the glare of modern medicine. Being able to eat a free snack or dinner was priceless. The food and meals are all donated by families, service groups, and organizations. Eating there reminded me that there are good people who have had difficult experiences like mine and they healed enough to serve others. After a year the time had come to pay it forward.
We teamed up with friends whose children have been at Primary as well and we could not have done it without them. We got registered, planned and purchased a meal and headed to the hospital to set everything up. Seeing us on the menu and calendar made Steve and I emotional.
There were a few hiccups because that is how it goes, but we served pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, pickles, veggies, watermelon, cookies and bottled water to 90 people with plenty of leftovers. Many people were outwardly grateful, but most were quiet with battle weary spirits that looked like they were going to either burst into tears or collapse with exhaustion. We all knew how they felt.
There were a few things that happened that made it difficult for us to hold back the tears. A girl about M's age was battling cancer and she insisted that her mother bring her over to thank us for dinner. With cancer treatments appetites can be scarce, but she wanted us to know she had eaten two sandwiches because they were so good. After getting her food, another woman told us that today was the worst day of her life, but she was grateful that we had come to serve this food tonight. On her way out she asked if we were affiliated with an organization. We told her we were parents who had been in her shoes. She said that someday when things are better she wants to pay it forward too. As we were leaving the hospital a family walked past us wailing in anguish because their child had died. We recognized them as a family we had just fed. My heart broke and ached for them and I was so glad they were able to have an enjoyable meal together and were not hungry as they faced this seemingly insurmountable trial.
It was a privilege and a blessing for me to be able to serve these people tonight. In doing so my goal is to try to take one of the darkest times in my life and use it for good. When Steve and I were talking at the end of the night we agreed this was one of the experiences in our life that we will cherish most. But perhaps the thing I am most grateful for is that a year has passed and a part of me has slowly started to heal.
Thank you Sister for watching my babies so we could serve.
During our time at Primary a friend told us about the Ronald McDonald Family Room. The first time we walked in there I felt a small measure of peace. It did not look, feel, or smell like the hospital and it was a calming oasis amid the glare of modern medicine. Being able to eat a free snack or dinner was priceless. The food and meals are all donated by families, service groups, and organizations. Eating there reminded me that there are good people who have had difficult experiences like mine and they healed enough to serve others. After a year the time had come to pay it forward.
We teamed up with friends whose children have been at Primary as well and we could not have done it without them. We got registered, planned and purchased a meal and headed to the hospital to set everything up. Seeing us on the menu and calendar made Steve and I emotional.
There were a few hiccups because that is how it goes, but we served pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, pickles, veggies, watermelon, cookies and bottled water to 90 people with plenty of leftovers. Many people were outwardly grateful, but most were quiet with battle weary spirits that looked like they were going to either burst into tears or collapse with exhaustion. We all knew how they felt.
There were a few things that happened that made it difficult for us to hold back the tears. A girl about M's age was battling cancer and she insisted that her mother bring her over to thank us for dinner. With cancer treatments appetites can be scarce, but she wanted us to know she had eaten two sandwiches because they were so good. After getting her food, another woman told us that today was the worst day of her life, but she was grateful that we had come to serve this food tonight. On her way out she asked if we were affiliated with an organization. We told her we were parents who had been in her shoes. She said that someday when things are better she wants to pay it forward too. As we were leaving the hospital a family walked past us wailing in anguish because their child had died. We recognized them as a family we had just fed. My heart broke and ached for them and I was so glad they were able to have an enjoyable meal together and were not hungry as they faced this seemingly insurmountable trial.
It was a privilege and a blessing for me to be able to serve these people tonight. In doing so my goal is to try to take one of the darkest times in my life and use it for good. When Steve and I were talking at the end of the night we agreed this was one of the experiences in our life that we will cherish most. But perhaps the thing I am most grateful for is that a year has passed and a part of me has slowly started to heal.
Thank you Sister for watching my babies so we could serve.
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