02 October 2009

Out of sight, but still in mind

The phone rang the other morning, and to my surprise, as I looked at the caller ID, it was my last nanny, Ms. Murvia, calling to say hello and see how we were doing.  She told me she was sitting outside of her job (a preschool where she works) and got there a bit early and said, "I am going to call Miss Jacquie and see how she and the children are doing."  We had a lovely 15 minute conversation and it warmed my heart and made my day.

Last year January 2008, when I lost my job, I had to let her go since there was much uncertainty about the coming months.  She lived about 40 minutes away and had a very full life, very devoted to her family and very active in her church, so she would certainly stay busy despite not coming to help me.  In fact, during her 1 1/2 years with us, she did an amazing amount of driving back and forth between my house and her house, tending to first her dying sister, and then her dying brother who ended up dying around April/May 2008.  So when I let her go, she was off to Florida a lot see him and help him.

This was her spirit and still is today, a true lady who my children came to feel like she was a "grandmother" to them, because in everything she did, she did it with genuine love and concern.  Often in life, we meet people, spend a certain amount of time together, perhaps months, perhaps decades, and once we go our separate ways, we sometimes never reconnect or check up on one another. 

We all do this where we say to another, the few times we see each other, "you know you are in my thoughts." Well, if you had a good relationship in the past, of course you can say that and it should be believed.  We do, we certainly do think about various people who left meaningful stamps in our hearts (and even some of those who did not) on occasion, some more than others.   Their impressions will remain forever.

Today, I happened upon an email from a friend who shared that today was the birthday of her brother who passed away recently, and she was sharing that she still misses him.  I thought it was a brave and wonderful gesture on her part to reach out to her friends and family and let them know how she was feeling today, and she included some people who had NO idea that she even had this brother who passed away.   It was a moment to stop and reflect.

I thought about the fact that though we can assume that our loved ones, be them family or friends, know we are thinking of them, we can not know WHEN that certain person(s) is at a crossroad that has them sad, or hurt, or ill, or just alone, and how if you reached out with a CARING phone call, note, letter, email or something, it would mean the world and change the spirit of their day.


 Ms. Murvia and Miles


This I thought of when my wonderful dear Ms. Murvia called a few day ago to "check in."  She reminded me that out of sight does not mean "out of mind," and that at those MOMENTS, where you have just 5 or 10 minutes and someone comes to mind, why not try to call and just say "HELLO, How are you? I think about you all the time."   We need to remember to live for TODAY, and never be afraid to check on those you care about when it crosses your mind!

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I'm so happy to have those special people in my life like her...and to you. Thanks for the uplifting article. :)