My Neighbor, My Hero (12-01-08)

There’s an old expression that is near and dear to my heart:

God will never give me more than I can handle.

With the follow up:

I just wish he didn’t trust me so much!

This week, I saw firsthand how God truly knows what He is doing when He trusts certain people to difficult and sometimes seemingly impossible tasks. I am referring to my neighbor Don, who I consider a friend and an inspiration.

This week, Don lost his wife, Cora Lea, more affectionately known as “Cork,” to a long and difficult illness. Five years ago, she became gravely ill and was not expected to live. But Cork surprised the doctors and pulled though, but without the use of her kidneys. So, for the last five years, Don has been administering in-home dialysis four times a day.

Think about that. Four times a day, every day of the year, for almost five straight years. That’s over fourteen hundred treatments, every six hours, without fail, without question, and without complaint.

And not only was Don able to keep this heroic and grueling schedule, but he amazed all the doctors by never once allowing an infection. It is one of the most incredible examples of pure love and devotion I have ever known. I consider myself lucky to have met and to have spent time with such an amazing couple.

Today, I attended the funeral, and was not surprised to see a packed church. Throughout this experience, I learned much about my neighbors that simply confirmed what I already knew.

I learned that Don and Cork were avid supporters of all school activities, both during the time their children attended school and for years after they graduated. Don even received the Booster of the Year award from the Ringneck Booster Club. I learned that Cork painted many beautiful works of art, many of which now hang in the hospital and in their church. I learned that Cork played the organ for her church, and in the words of her pastor, “made the trumpets sing!”

And I even learned that many years ago, Don had helped dig the basement and build the house that we now call our home. It is no surprise that the structure is so sound considering his excellent craftsmanship.

Among those who attended the funeral, many were friends and former neighbors who traveled great distances to pay their respects. Don and Cork simply inspire that kind devotion. From the moment we met them, we knew that we had made friends for life, and throughout the months we have been their neighbors, they have grown ever more dear to us.

Don, especially, has gone out of his way to make us feel welcome and loved. He has given me an open invitation to borrow tools from his amply supplied garage, and he has brought my wife bushels of tomatoes and cucumbers from his incredible back yard garden. He and Cork never once complained about our dogs, even when they raised a ruckus, and he got in the habit of giving them dog biscuits whenever they escaped our yard.

His lawn is one of the finest in town, yet whenever I tried to compliment his lawn care, Don would graciously return the compliment back to me. And for all Don’s hard work on his lawn, he generously allows our children to run and play on the carpet of green he has so painstakingly raised.

How he has found time to raise a garden, tend a perfect lawn, or fill the multitude of bird and squirrel feeders around his yard, all while caring for Cork, is a miracle of efficiency and dedication. Don had a walkie-talkie with him at all times, and he would drop everything when his wife would call. Yet, somehow he always had time for a friendly word and a friendlier smile.

In fact, I have never seen Don in a bad mood, I have never seen him yawn. I have never heard him utter a negative word or issue a single complaint. Don is singularly the most positive person I have ever known, and I am proud to call him my neighbor and my friend.

So I suppose it is no surprise that God trusted Don with the care of his beloved Cork. I told my own wife that as much as I love her, I do not know if I would have the strength to provide for her every need, four times a day, every six hours, day in and day out for more than four years. I may be younger, but my neighbor is so much stronger than me. God trusted him, because God knew that Don could handle the work and responsibility with flying colors, as only Don could.

I hope that God never trusts me to handle so much. But if given such a load to handle, I will try to follow the example of my neighbor, my hero, Don.