Passing Through the Fire by Nasrin Z

Author:Nasrin Z. [Z., Nasrin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781469787527
Publisher: iUniverse
Published: 2012-03-12T04:00:00+00:00

9

A Community Comes Together

“Let your light shine before others, that

they may see your good deeds and glorify

your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:16

Passively watching others do the housework, I realized how much effort was involved in managing a household and in keeping it clean. All the sweeping, mopping, dusting, and washing seemed to be overwhelming for a caregiver. I knew I had to simplify my life. I had to give away all the unnecessary stuff that required extra care. At first, it was difficult to part with things I had collected over the years and to which I had become attached. However, once I gave them away, I felt a sense of freedom. Why did I feel that I needed to fill my house with all those things anyway? Buying and collecting stuff can become an obsession. We buy them, store them, dust them, take care of them, then we get tired of the clutter and sell them in garage sales, and we do it all over again. No wonder we never have time for important things in life!

While some people disappeared from our lives because they didn’t exactly know how to react, others remained. Our house was in dire need of organization, and our small church community, neighbors and friends came to help. They cleaned our house, stocked our freezer with home-cooked meals in containers, planted flowers in the front yard, and helped us get organized. A community motivated by love came together.

I have to admit receiving help is humbling. I understand better now the saying: “Giving is better than receiving.” I felt a sense of shame from asking for help. But I had to learn to leave pride aside and to accept graciously the much needed help that I was given. I remember crying in the office of one of Shepherd Center’s counselors. While gently placing her hands on my shoulders and looking intently into my eyes, she told me there was nothing wrong with someone else helping to brush my teeth, and that there was nothing wrong with someone else helping me to eat. It took a long time for me to come to peace with that. A friend told me it was an honor for her to help me. She said it made her feel needed and good about herself, because someone else needed her. I hadn’t thought about it that way!

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