Homage or Garbage

I rarely receive Letters to the Editor, but here is one that deserves special recognition. It’s longer than the suggested 300 word limit, but I believe it’s worthy of the extra space.

To the Editor:

We hear so much negative news these days that I felt it necessary to share with everyone in town what has been going on over at our home.

It all began a few weeks ago when my husband suffered a heart attack. He was working too hard, trying to do a major project on our yard by himself. That terrible day help was as close as our phone.  I called 9-1-1 and from there things seemed to take on a life of their own.  

Mary Ann Smith, a friend from church, who is an angel to us, and has been to many of you, was here in a flash, followed closely by the ambulance crew. I must stop here and thank those people for their fast action and kindness to us.  

Our neighbors began pouring out of their houses and were offering any help we needed along with their prayers. Each was noticeably moved to see my husband loaded into the ambulance. Of particular help were Mike and Brenda Manthei, who prayed in the house with us before he left for the hospital. Brenda stayed in the hospital waiting room for hours just to lend me emotional support and volunteering a ride to any hospital Gene would be transferred to. Thank you Mike and Brenda. They truly love their neighbors as themselves.

My husband was taken to the Winslow Memorial Hospital emergency room where he received great treatment from Dr. Srivastava, whom we must thank tremendously for his care, along with the nurses, staff, and again Mary Ann, who hovered over us the entire time we were there. 

I was feeling quite overwhelmed at the ER, then something wonderful happened. In addition to Brenda, the waiting room began to fill up with friends from our church, First Baptist, who prayed with us, and for us, and offered all the support I needed. After it was determined that Gene, also known as Curt, was indeed experiencing a heart attack, he was flown to Flagstaff Hospital. Our thanks go out to the pilot and all involved in that leg of the journey. 

Once there he was taken immediately into surgery and after that, given wonderful care in their ICU. He was released after a few days. While all of this was going on my personal drama was unfolding. Due to illness, I rarely drive and then generally only in town. I needed a ride to the hospital in Flag and it had grown to be pretty late in the night by then. Brenda offered to take me, but I saw that Pastor John Zimmerman, from First Baptist, and some others, were going up there, so I elected to ride with one of them.  Thanks to Ken Light, Pastor John and Bob Schlesinger, who waited with me until 3 a.m., until my husband was out of surgery and was determined to be O.K., before they left. I saw Gene briefly. He was tired and insisted that I go home and sleep myself. Ken Light drove me home. Subsequently, Pastor John and Sam and Nell Conner provided ride after ride until Gene was released. Many thanks to each of you, from us.

As if that weren’t enough love given, there was more to come. The huge yard project was expected to be placed on indefinite hold. That was until the men from our church heard about our need to complete it. 

Matt Gracey was one of those men. He called me and told me to make a complete list of everything that my husband had planned to do. I told him that a list like that would be extensive, but he insisted that I give him the list. He came over, picked up the list and surveyed the yard and made certain what we needed done. Then he said to me, “This may not all get done in one day, but it will get done.” 

I couldn’t believe my eyes when he, and some others that I must mention, came day after day to work. Special mention goes out to Matt, Gary Sanderlin, and a wonderful young man from the high school who came to work here. Then to another angel, Chuck Bonds, who has unselfishly come and put in long days digging trenches, replacing sprinklers, installing backyard sprinklers, putting in flower beds, placing heavy stones and all sorts of hard manual labor. To you Chuck, thank you will never be enough. 

Along with them I must mention Ken Light again, who helped us to line up a man who came with a heavy piece of equipment to scrape all our grass out of our front yard, (we’re putting in rock to save on water usage).  A load of sand was dumped by Ken, and these men began spreading it all over the yard during one of our famous Winslow “windy” days. Among them was Jim MacLean, his son Clint, another young man named Mason, and our hero, Matt Gracey, once again. 

Ken will also deliver our rock when the yard is fully prepared for it, and then a bunch of men, again from our church, along with some wonderful young men from the high school, will spread that rock. 

At this point I think all of you are beginning to see why this warranted a letter and honorable mention of all these people. This is extremely hard work these men have done for us, donating their time and energy to us out of the kindness of their hearts, most of them desiring to glorify Jesus Christ. They are not just talking about love and compassion for people, they are showing love and compassion. This is a big deal at a time when people are so busy that many hardly have time to eat dinner with their own families let alone to selflessly do a tremendous, time-consuming, sweat-producing project for people who can never begin to pay them back, simply out of love and devotion to their beliefs and a great spirit of community. 

Winslow is truly a wonderful place to live. It’s where remarkable people do remarkable things for others. Our story is one of many that goes on here week after week. We read of acts of kindness like this done for others and now it has happened for us. 

Thank you again everyone, those who prepared delicious dinners for us, and called, and sent cards, and gave me rides, and brought food in here. Each of you knows who you are.

There are good things happening all around us, every day in Winslow. 

We are so thankful that God has given Gene the privilege to go on living and is healing him with each passing day. We are also grateful to a community that has poured out love and compassion on us in amounts that we could never repay and never even thought possible.

I say again, love and compassion are alive and well in Winslow!

Week after week I look at the Letters to the Editor section in the Winslow Mail and so often there is not even one letter there. If one is there, very often it is about something negative. I would ask any of you, who has the desire to share, to write a letter about “Why You Love Living in Winslow” and share some good news with all of us who are hungry for some uplifting opinions of our very special town. 

Gene and Janice Walters

Winslow

Editor’s Note: Well said. I know many of those people mentioned and I have to say I am not surprised by their actions. And please, send those letters about the good things and good people of Winslow.

Donate to nhonews.com Report a Typo Contact
Most Read