Post Title: Reaching for God in the Hard Places, Part 6

Day 2 of Marcelina’s Visit

Marcelina did not have to leave until early afternoon. She would drive back to Cleveland, Ohio, roughly an hour a half drive from where I lived. She would then check into her hotel and get ready for the wedding. Her husband was flying directly into the Rock-n-Roll Capital of the World as Cleveland is often called. They would attend the

Being Served

 “Amy, is there anything you’d like to do this morning that you couldn’t do on your own? Can I take you on any errands?”

At first, I hedged. She had already done enough. But she kept insisting. “Anywhere at all. Grocery shopping? To the bank? Seriously, take me up on it.”

Well, I searched my mind and was getting ready to say, “No. I’m good,” when she recalled a comment, I’d made the previous day. “You said you needed a haircut!. Let me take you there. You’ll totally feel better.”

So I called my hairdresser, who operated out of her home. No one answered.

“That’s okay,” I said. “Thank you for thinking of me though.”

The Salon and Spa

“There must be someplace else close by.”

Marcelina started to google places on her phone. “”There’s a place on Main Street, a salon and spa,” she read.

“No, that place is  super expensive!”

“Let me take you there. I will pay.”

She wheedled and coaxed me into making an appointment for later that morning.

image deception: image of a man with his arms open wide toward the sky with text that reads – And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying Whom shall I send and who will go for us? Then said I, here am I, Lord. Send me. Isaiah 6:8

A Color, Cut and Style

That morning, we sauntered into the spa. The clerk checked out my hair and matched it up with a color. “Your color is totally grown out.” She frowned.

“Oh no, I just need a cut.”

Marcelina broke in “She will take a color and a cut and style.”

Marcelina and the stylist collaborated together to select a suitable shade of brown.

I rarely had my hair colored and wasn’t accustomed to the sting of the peroxide.  We finally rinsed it out and the clerk fussed to remove the color around my ears. “That will show,” she clucked, rubbing vigorously.

She then styled my hair with a hair dryer, snipping here and there, and shaving the back of my neck.

Finally, satisfied with her work, the stylist sung my around in my swivel chair and slipped a hand mirror over to me. “What do you think?”

I didn’t have the heart to say I couldn’t see it clearly due to my sight loss. My hair cut wa a big brown blur.  Oh yes, very nice,” I fibbed.

Marcelina looked so pleased with herself. “It’s so chic, Amy.”

That brought a smile to my face.

Speaking to a Sighted Person instead of TO the Blind Individual

At the door, the hair stylist spoke over and said to Marcelina. “She really needs a hot conditioner treatment. Her hair is dry, and the ends are split.”

Whether the stylist was trying to upsell me, or if she really meant to be helpful or kind, I took immediate umbrage. She spoke to Marcelina about me, as if I were a child. People do that a lot to people who are blind. They speak over and around you, as if you are just a passive bystander.

“No, I don’t need that,” I said decisively. I tried to soften my response. “Thank you, though. “

“Thank you so much,” I said to my friend. “It’s really luxurious.”

“You should totally get it styled and cut there every time, ” she announced.

I mentally calculated. A color, cut and style would cost me about four days’ wages.

Eating Out

Before Marcelina left, she did one last thing for me. She treated me out to lunch at a local Bed and Breakfast establishment.

We chatted over quiche and a cinnamon roll, which is their specialty. It did indeed feel like a treat!

When Marcelina rolled her suitcase out of the house to her rental car, I felt richer for the visit. Uplifted. Better able to face my brother’s challenges.

“Enjoy the wedding. Drive safely,” I added as she backed out.

Comfort Bearer

I first heard the term “Comfort Bearers on Dr. Charles Stanley’s 24-hour radio station at InTouch Radio, which I listened to obsessively in the wee hours of the night, praying for guidance for me and my brother. In Touch Ministries – Home

So, what is a ‘Comfort bearer”?

Someone who brings comfort in the midst of a storm.

Each of my visitors came at just the right time and filled a need in my life. Ron and Nancy filled a physical need in helping me to manage my brother. They could explain with all the big words what was going on in his system. They could liaise for me in a way I couldn’t.

Frank served to encourage me by reminding me that friendship moves beyond culture and language. It is something that comes from the heart.

Marcelina gave comfort by providing what I could not.

They all helped me to bear the burden of my brother’s illness at a critical period of time.

I am so much richer for their well-timed visits. God indeed did not leave us alone to fend for ourselves.

Reflecting on Accepting Help

We all want to be thought of as independent. It’s humbling to ask for help, even when it’s offered in love. But God does put people in our lives to lighten our load. Being legally blind places me in the unique position of having to put my pride on hold and accept when it’s freely given. Being in a caregiving situation also stretched my needs beyond the most basic needs, like transportation. But I’m learning God does not leave me to fend for myself to attend to the needs of my brother.

For that I’m incredibly grateful. 

How difficult is it for youto accept help for yourself? Think of a time when you accepted help and it was exactly what you needed, Share in the comments below. 

You have just read “Reaching for God in the Hard Places, Part 6” by Amy L. Bovaird. © July 6, 2023. All rights reserved.