INSPIRASUNS

Last night my husband and I had dinner with some friends, the first time with this couple. We enjoyed learning more about each other, we knew the basics, where they were from originally, what they did before moving to Naples, etc. But, we learned more about their backgrounds, where they grew up, family, etc. During the discussion, my husband shared that he was one of six children, grew up in a small rural town on a farm, and that his dad was the local town doctor.

My father-in-law was simply a gem. He and my mother-in-law were priceless and they made the cutest couple. When I describe Doc, I ask people if they have seen the old Norman Rockwell painting of the country doctor holding the little black bag. In his older years, I think Doc could have posed for that picture, he looked so much like the man in that painting. Doc was a quiet man, and when you did have a conversation, he was very soft spoken so you had to listen. He was incredibly knowledgeable and it was so interesting to talk with him.

Doc wasn’t always a country doctor though. He served this nation as a physician in WWII, a Colonel in the US Army, and served at the Battle of the Bulge. What I remember most about the stories around this time in his life though, were the stories of him helping the french people in the countryside. He would assist the locals and the stories of them repaying him with goods because they didn’t have cash, still come to mind.

Doc worked this way when back in his small Illinois town as well. You see, for Doc, it wasn’t about the money, he just loved practicing medicine and helping people. If a family couldn’t pay a bill, they would offer him a chicken as payment, something his family could use for food. Or perhaps there was a kitten that his children could enjoy. His patients were proud people who didn’t want his services for free, so they offered what they could. Doc was accommodating, and I know his reputation in town spoke volumes about who he was. He was a man of character who cared about people, a kind and giving soul.

Doc had to “hang up his shingle” after 50 years of being a medical doctor when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Over time like most with this disease, his current memories faded, but he still had the older memories. I recall vividly one “rally of the clan” weekend. We had brought him home from his care facility to have dinner with the family, almost all the kids and their families were home that weekend. There we all were in the kitchen and Doc was in the middle while we all chatted, yes it was loud as you can imagine. I don’t remember how it started, but a conversation began between Doc and Bob’s sister-in-law. You see she speaks fluent french and she began speaking to him. Doc responded, like conversing fluently in french. You could have heard a pin drop as this conversation continued, and all the siblings encouraged her to keep going. When it ended, there was not a dry eye in the room. She had found a piece of him, a wonderful memory that came flowing out.

Even at the end stages of his disease, he remembered his wife, who was with him every day. Doc would smile when she came to visit and though his memories may have been of their early years, he always knew who she was.

The night that Doc passed away, we visited him in the care facility. It was dinner time and a very large man, his nurse for the evening was feeding him in his room. We stayed a while to visit and chatted with the nurse who indicated that Doc may not be around long. We kissed him before leaving and thanked the nurse for taking such good care of him. The nurse turned to us and simply replied, “Are you kidding, Doc McQueen brought me into this world, it is my honor to help him leave it peacefully”. I think that said it all.

Thanks for letting me share a little piece about a wonderful man in today’s little blog. Thank you Father for your son Doc, a man you shaped and helped grow, may we be like him in his care of others.

Have a wonderful day friends 🙂

Philippians 2:4
Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.