Life Stops On A Dime
Where does that phrase come from? “Stop on a Dime?” I don’t really know. My best guess is it dates from the days when a phone call cost just ten cents: a dime. Most information back then, long before text messaging, the internet, or even voice mail, was disseminated by phone calls.
That call from my niece came at 2:08 pm on January 28th, the one that stopped my life on a dime. My only sister was being transported by ambulance to the hospital. She was unresponsive after just being on the couch, happy her hip was not hurting following the steroid injection. The next moment she was possibly having a stroke or heart attack, later determined to be a blood clot that caused cardiac arrest. I left work immediately, sped home, quickly packed a bag, and then headed to Detroit to be with her!
Life stopped on a dime! People jumped in to get my work done. People jumped in to make sure I packed all I needed. People jumped in and started praying.
People jump in when our lives stop on a dime! Thank you, people, for your actions, your prayers, your kindness, your graciousness and your love. All of that is called hospitality!
My mind goes back to the camp at Lee Valley Ranch in South Dakota that I directed fifteen summers, where Pastor Dick Borrud ingrained in me the Bible verse, Romans 12:13, part of the camp’s theme, “Practice hospitality."
It doesn’t say we have to know exactly what to do or be perfect at hospitality. We just have to practice it. We may not always get it right, but we continue to practice it! May that be my first thought and action when I see someone’s life stop on a dime!
My sister died on February 14th, 2020. Three years later my heart still breaks and tears come each time I think about picking up the phone to call her to ask a question about a family member, to talk about what she’s reading now or to just catch up on life, kids and grandkids. It was the day after she retired that she ended up with the blood clot. There were so many things we talked about doing together when we had the time: going through all the stuff from my mom and grandmother that she had stored, traveling, watching family movies, laughing at family stories, having a family reunion and so much more. I do remember the joy, laughter and smiles we shared. I do miss her especially today.