March 2    SDB  Elder Care

Parables are made of such experiences as are shared during SDB Elder Care. Spiritual lessons are drawn from the things of nature.  Pastor Michael Spearl practiced casting out demons as he yanked on a stubborn palmetto bush ---just one root being the source of a lot of trouble. After finally getting that bush removed, his victorious announcement , "The bird of paradise will live!" awoke me to the importance of this whole operation. I hadn't realized that Ruth Barber's desire was the preservation of that paradise flower.

While the pastor accomplished that, Laura Mirabal and Rich Bond did some heavy labor of their own, man-handling and woman-handling the cement pavers which had been the Barbers' sidewalk in order to clean and paint, shovel and rake, lay stone and re-lay the freshened pavers (most of the tedious detail work done by Laura in between group gatherings).

The gracious recipients and hosts of the morning's work party, John and Ruth Barber, made sure the team stayed hydrated and happy with fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice from their own grapefruit trees and a selection of Little Debbies.

That afternoon the hard-working trio---along with Susan Bond who was on hand mostly to write the news and take photos---drove on over to Robert Davis's to clean out his flower bed. There the pastor  showed his particular side when he instructed Laura to cut the plastic bags straight, bags which were to be laid beneath the lava rocks in the flower beds. I like to place this characteristic in a positive light: it reminds me of the statement I read once, "Don't fly on an airplane with coffee stains on its food tray" (After all, one would have to ask oneself, "In what other ways might this airline be careless?).

Robert appreciated the SDB Elder Care team so much that he gave them his garden tools, hoping that he himself would  never have need of them again---not with this group around!!