---Also wanted to share this little event, which certainly demonstrates how
all of us can reach out if we'd like to:
"A rather strange and rare thing happened to us recently," says Jim
Claypool.  "My wife Ginni had a bad day at the day care-she wandered off
unsupervised, and I noticed her negative attitude as soon as I picked her
up.  But it was our forty-eighth wedding anniversary, and I was hoping to
cheer her up by taking her out for a nice dinner."  Ginni's Alzheimer's is
advanced to a point that she really does not notice much difference in
restaurants, Jim says, but this time he took her to a local TGI Fridays.
The dinner was nice, but "as always, it was necessary for me to help by
ordering for her and cutting her meat as she has trouble doing that," Jim
says.  "I talked at length to her during dinner, assuring her that
everything was OK and that I loved her and would always be there for her and
do what was right for her. Caring for her is a constant and rather intense
activity."
As dinner ended, the waitress set down the check and also a box for the food
Ginni was not able to finish. Jim was putting her food into the box when the
waitress returned with a hand-written note.  "Your check has been taken care
of," she told Jim.  Surprised, he looked at the note:  "Watching you guys
tonight, it was one of the sweetest things I've seen in a long time. You are
one heck of a guy."
Although the man signed his note, he had already left before it was
delivered, and Jim has been unable to find him.  "I want to tell this story,
not because he said something nice about me, but to share the account of his
generosity and amazing empathy for a complete stranger," Jim says.  "I had
been feeling a little extra blue because Ginni has little idea of who I am,
let alone that we are married and that it was our anniversary.  But this
really warmed my heart. God works in wonderful ways."
My thought as I blink back tears:  Jim and countless other caregivers need
all the comfort we can offer them in their heroic jobs.  If any of us see a
similar couple or family, let's think of something to lift their spirits,
just as this unidentified Earth Angel did.

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Be nice to your kids. They will choose your nursing
 home one day.
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