A friend, flowers and fun

               “Go look at my cactus on the window sill.”  Amy said as I walked into her flat.  I take the newspaper to Amy on Mondays and Thursdays.  So, I handed her the newspaper and took the shopping bag into the kitchen.  I would put the vegetable spread away while I was in there. 

                To meet my gaze was a blooming Christmas cactus.  Although October, it was in bloom now.  From the lounge Amy commented: “It’s supposed to bloom at Christmas time, but mine never does.  It always does it before.”

                Amy is 97 and lives alone, which most of her friends find amazing.  I met Amy through church.  A mutual friend with whom we attend church looks in on Amy on a regular basis.  When I first became aware of this, our friend was seeing her daily.  To provide a break for our friend, and give Amy another visitor,  I volunteered to take the paper twice a week. 

                Occasionally Amy will ring me and let me know that one of her daughters is coming and that I don’t need to get the paper.  But most weeks I ring her before going to the shops to see if she needs milk, bread, or any other item besides the paper.  

                Once I’m there, I take my coat off and stay for a chat, listening to her share about her life.  It means hearing a few stories again and again.  But on the other hand, Amy and I always have a laugh.  She likes to cook, and we’ll discuss food. She’s given me a couple of recipe books and shared recipes with me.   

                 Amy went into service when she was 14 years of age.  Her first job was as a mother’s help on a neighbouring farm.  At age 18 she went to London.  She met her husband there, and she found work in offices or shops.    

                Spending time with Amy is like spending time with my grandmother. 

                Occasionally Amy’s granddaughter will visit and bring flowers.  Amy very kindly and generously shares them with me.    

Amy shared these with me today:

First of all, I must define a term, knocker-up, 

Per Wikipedia  “A knocker-up (sometimes known as a knocker-upper) was a profession^[1] in Britain and Ireland that started during and lasted well into the Industrial Revolution and at least as late as the 1920s (mid 50s in Manchester, England. UK) before alarm clocks were affordable or reliable. A knocker-up's job was to rouse sleeping people so they could get to work on time.^[2”  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knocker-up

Tongue Twister

Our knocker-up has a knocker-up to knock him up.  And our knocker-up’s knocker-up  didn’t knock our knocker-up up, so our knocker-up didn’t knock us up.

Riddles

1)      What goes up a chimney down but won’t come down a chimney up? 

2)      What goes up when the rain comes down

Answer to both:  an umbrella

        Amy has many memories from World War 2.  The other day she was reminiscing about watching the plans flying over during the blitz, at which point she looked over at me and asked; “Do you remember that?”

        “Amy, I was only born in 1958!”  At that we both laughed. 

  I think that is an indication of how people’s lives can intermesh, regardless of age.  It is sharing common interests, time and laughter.  I know my life is richer for knowing her.

 

Serving Jesus, Author of our faith,

"Lady Helene"