Thank You, Ladies

I met a RN yesterday who graduated TWU (Houston Campus) two years before me.  There's a side story to that.


But I want to talk about something else.  I made home visits today as part of a home health agency survey.  I visited a 65 year old woman who previously spent 19 years in prison for killing her husband.  Her story:  she and her husband lived in a crime-riddled neighborhood long ago.  He brought her a handgun and taught her how to use it for self defense.  Some time later, he came home, and something triggered him to beat her.  She got her handgun and shot him (in self-defense).  Apparently the judge stated at her sentencing, that if it was up to him, he would not send her to prison.

I visited an elderly woman living in government housing apartments.  She hailed from the Maryland coast and had been in Texas in this apartment for six years.  She told me she hated Texas, but somehow, she was ordered to move to Texas.  All her family remain in Maryland.  Except for her physical limitations, she remains fiercely independent.

Another woman I visited suffered from severe osteoarthritis.  Conversationally, I learned she was from a county in which I lived and worked many years ago.  Without prompting, she told me she lost her daughter (who had three children) 10 years ago.  Her daughter was killed by the husband; then he shot himself.  My patient raised her three grandchildren.  They are adults now, well-educated and leading productive lives.

Life can be hard.  We all go through times of stress, challenge, grief, heartache and downright difficult times.  Each of these women had made their way to today, overcoming the difficulties they encountered.  None of them were bitter.

My life lesson today.  Thank you, ladies!