Today is a rainy morning in Indy as we leave for Cleveland where we will pick up 72 year old Joseph. We arrive at his bedside and find him surrounded by nurses and his case manager getting him all ready for his flight.
Joseph is a large gentleman with a gray beard and mustache. His face is round with pink cheeks and a wonderful pleasant smile. The staff here really love him.
W
e load him up for transport and as we begin to leave the hospital the heavens opened with a grand downpour of rain.
We did our best to shield Joe from the rain although her really did not seem to mind.
Hal is waiting by Nellie with an umbrella that he places over Joe’s head as we board the aircraft. Once settled Hal prays over Joe inside the plane.
Joe did great during his flight. He shared that he was an army infantryman from 1967-1969 in the Vietnam war. He spoke a lot about his time there.
It seemed like he truly enjoyed serving his country. He came from a large family with 10 siblings and he and his brother Rudy are particularly close. His grandmother, mom and 1st wife were all redheads.
He said, “redheads are hazardous to his health.” Joe worked as a car mechanic for many years. He has 4 children and several grandchildren. He loves to fish and hunt.
One of his favorite stories was when he and John Denver went away fishing for several days. He told us how John really enjoyed the time away with no one really knowing who he was.
It was a lot of fun spending time with him and before we knew it we were in Kansas where we had finally found the sunshine.
We took Joe to the hospital in Wichita where his daughter and granddaughter were waiting to see him.
After placing him into bed we prayed with him and hugged him goodbye.
He smiled and thank us over and over for getting him closer to his family.
PSALM 72:6
MAY HE BE LIKE RAIN FALLING ON A MOWN FIELD,
LIKE SHOWERS WATERING THE EARTH.
Thank you to Hal, Jason and TeeJay for sharing this mission with me.
Many Blessings
Shelli Engle RN
