For My Little Sister!

Valentine Day was always a day I held close to my heart...guess it was becaue I loved chocolate and through my adolesence  mother and daddy always seemed to see that I had a big heart shaped box of chocolates!

As the years passed however, Valentine took on more special meanings...with the birth of children those precious "handmade valentines" were what made the day special and then came the ones from the grandchildren.  So through the years "love thoughts" on paper became my favorite valentine treat!

It was Valentine Day of 1996 however that the most special Valentine of all was placed in my hands!  The day had begun early, as this  was the day Jerry had his prostate surgery.  Jerry and I arrived at Hendrick Hospital in Abilene long before the sun came up that morning.  Jerry was admitted, prepped for surgery and sedated before sunrise.  It was to be a long day and I felt scared and alone!

As the sun was peeking above the horizon the hospital room door opened and there to our surprise stood Patti and Mack.   What an honor and blessing!   I really needed support that day and recieved a "double dose" having my precious Patti and Mack and also medical enforcement too!  Knowing that Mack did not frequent hospitals outside of his professional obligation and keeping in mind the physical effort it took for him to get from the car to our room, Jerry and I knew what a special moment this was!

The day progressed slowly.  As reports from the doctor and nurses came from surgery, Mack would translate and assure me that all was going as expected.  He even mentioned a few things I might ask the next  time we received a report.   This certainly made me feel knowledgable and gave the medical professionals a reason to believe  I was really on top of this situation!  Mack was so strong, informative and supportive in his "behind the scenes" way!   As I write this tears flow remembering the importance of his presence that day.

Surgery was over, Jerry was out of recovery and for the moment, all was well.  In their quiet, respectful,  wonderful way, Patti and Mack were ready to make their exit.  As they departed the room, Patti leading the way, Mack placed an envelope in my hand, placed his arm around me with a hug and said "this is for my little sister".  As quickly as they appeared that morning, they were gone in the late afternoon.

I went back into the room, curled up in the recliner and opened that envelope!  Inside, to my surprise was a beautiful Valentine card just for "his little sister" and signed with love, Mack.   Today that card resides in my keepsake box for I know  cards from Mack were far and few between and I treasure knowing that I have one of the few!