Lonely People Need Meals on Wheels and someone to check on them.

Glenda and Barry walking up a trail
in the woods

Two Buttermilks for Pamela by Glenda Council Beall - Your Daily Poem

Soon after Barry retired, we signed up to work with Meals on Wheels. We enjoyed being together as we drove over mountain roads and found little frame houses sitting back in a cove or holler. We began our days going to the Senior Center in Hayesville, NC where we lived. There we picked up a couple of thermal carriers that held carefully wrapped hot meals, and also a cooler that kept drinks and certain foods cold until we delivered them. 

It was an experience I will never forget and people I will always remember. In my poem, Two Buttermilks for Pamela, you learn about one of the dear people who will always be in my heart. Now that I am growing nearer her age, those memories take on a deeper meaning. 

Sadly, too many people live alone in the mountains and never see anyone but the people who deliver meals. This past summer, a woman and her dog were found dead in her home. The bodies had been there for days and no one had known. She probably fell and could not reach anyone for help. It could happen to anyone who lives alone and has no one to check on them.

Once when we delivered a meal, we found a woman who had fallen and she could not get up or reach a phone to call for help. "I knew you would be coming soon," she said. "I wasn't worried."

That is one of the reasons I made the decision to live with family in Roswell, GA.

During the pandemic, I realized how alone I was because I did not go out around other people and there were weeks I never saw another human being. I talked on the phone but did not see anyone.

As Thanksgiving approaches this week, I am grateful I have loved ones who care about me. When I arrived at my apartment in my sister's and brother-in-law's house, I found a beautiful Christmas cactus waiting for me. Stu had bought it while Gay was up in NC helping me pack to come back. 

Those who know me well, know I am a people person. 

I thrive on being and talking with others. Here in my comfortable apartment, I visit with Gay every day and often see my niece, Lee. It is the best thing for me to do now. I will miss my dear mountain home and close friends. But until I sell my house, I will go back to visit often. 

My dear readers, for those in the United States, have a safe and thankful holiday this week. For those in other places, I am grateful for you who read my posts and for the words you leave me.