People

When I was well enough to have visitors after my last surgery, I have had many come by to say hello, to cheer me up, to bring me food, to pray for me, to show me they cared. I have been touched and blessed. I find myself categorizing my visitors.

Category A: The curious ones - these come out of curiosity to "see" what I look like after reading about me in the papers.

Category B: The guilty ones - these come because they feel guilty that they have not been in touch and did not know about my condition.

Category C: The long lost ones - these come because they don't want to be the long lost ones. Some may have met me 30 - 40 years ago!

Category D: The groupie ones - these come because others were coming so they came along.

Category E: The clueless ones - these don't really know me but know the others who know me.

Category F: The sincere ones - these come because they genuinely care and love me and want to see how they can help.

99.9% of my visitors are from category F. I thank God for every visitor that comes through my gate. I thank God for every type of them. It takes time and effort to visit someone. I thank them for their effort and their time.

Yesterday, I had 2 groups of category F visitors. One was a group of ex-students who came because they wanted me to know they cared. The other was a solo visitor.

Two of the three are now mothers themselves and one, herself a cancer warrior. The other brought her lovely 12 year old daughter (who shares the same name as my equally lovely little dog. She did not mind! ... the girl ie.) who I met 10 years ago. And the third brought them all together. It was a beautiful time of reminiscence, as well as current updating. They still felt very much like my students albeit all a tat bit older!

The other visitor was a solo visitor bearing gifts of my favourite curry puffs. Having settled in Australia, she made it a point to visit me each year she returns to spend time with her family. It was an afternoon of nostalgia as we recounted the good old days. We were comfortable sharing and opening each others' old wounds and hurts and experiences. We shared.

Then it was time for my afternoon nap.

The house was all quiet again. How wonderful that people have people. I hum the ever popular Barbara Straisand song as I drifted off ... people ... people who need people ... are the luckiest people in the world ... God bless us people ... ZZZzzzzzzzZZZZzzzzzz ...