Atypical Pastors Wife
  • Welcome!
  • Noise From The Barnyard
    • Calf Corner
    • Not Your Ordinary Bull
  • Heavenly Hay
  • Ministry Moosings
  • Homilies For The Herd

Noise From The Barnyard

This is where family and friends hang out and discuss world events, family happenings, valley news and things I'm "moosing" about.  It's the day to day across the fence chatter.

What Ronald McDonald Says

2/18/2014

1 Comment

 
Picture
I don't know what the fox says, but I know that at some point along the way Ronald McDonald said there has to be a way to "Keep families together to help kids heal faster and cope better."  And so Ronald McDonald houses were born.  I had heard of them because there were collection bins for spent printer cartridges in all their restaurants but I never really gave them much thought....until I needed one.  In 1999 I found myself living out of public bathrooms and trying to sleep in hospital waiting rooms.  A case worker told me that she was trying to get me a room at the Ronald McDonald house.  Much to my surprise, it was free of charge.  I entered the house and thought to myself, "I have to call their decorator.  It's beautiful here!"  I was given a room with two double beds and a private bathroom, space in a freezer and refrigerator in a fully equipped kitchen, a dining area with very tasteful tables and chairs, laundry service complete with soap and fabric softener, a living room with overstuffed leather couches that "hug you like a fat woman" according to my husband, (He never has told me what fat woman was his frame of reference.   I'm just glad it wasn't me), and my favorite, a sitting room complete with a piano.  I lived there for several months.  I was so blessed by the volunteers who would literally do anything for you, even at their own expense.  On weekends, groups came in and cooked and fed everyone in the house!  Often there were groups during the week too.  I wouldn't have needed to cook at all if I didn't want to, but that was the one bit of normalcy that I had left after being thrust into that situation much against my will. Plus I would never ever get to cook in a kitchen like that unless I owned a restauant. 

Fast forward 14 years.  Last November my grandson ended up in a Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit at a large hospital an hour away.  After learning that he would be there for awhile, I immediately inquired to see if there was a Ronald McDonald House on the campus.  Much to my delight, there was.  Maybe overstepping the bounds a little, I reserved a room for my daughter and her family.  (I'm not usually that presumptuous but I knew what a blessing it would be for them.)  Below are some photos from the Ronald McDonald house they stayed at. 



Picture
From a distance it looked more like a hotel than a house.
Picture
But the closer I got, the more welcoming it looked.
Picture
Then it seemed almost magical!
Dinner that night was Chicken Parmesan
Who wouldn't like this laundry room?
A play room to die for!
Picture
If you ever need one, they'll leave the light on for you!
You can say a lot of things about McDonalds.  You can like them or not.  You can eat at them or not.  But being able to sleep uninterrupted at night helped me make the hard decisions that I faced everyday at the hospital.  Having a place to go to rest, relax, talk with other parents experiencing the same things I was just helped me to feel a little more normal.  Having transportation to and from the hospital was an added bonus since I was there because I had totally destroyed my own car.  Just knowing that I wasn't alone was a tremendous blessing at a time when blessings could be few and far between.  Being able to see and visit with my uninjured family REALLY helped keep me connected.  


So if you are looking for a way to bless someone who is really in need, I recommend throwing those extra coins into the box outside the drive through window, collecting as many cartridges as you can and dropping them in the drop box, or hey, better yet, send them a check, volunteer to cook a meal or man the front desk, donate supplies or give some time for a much needed project.   
1 Comment

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    May 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    April 2019
    September 2018
    August 2017
    April 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013

    Categories

    All
    Eternity
    Family
    Holy Living
    Perspective
    Witnessing

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.