The Red Earrings
The days were usually uneventful for Shirley. She was in her late 50's and had a 7 to 3 job in the maintenance department at the same hospital where I worked, in Clearwater, Florida. It was evident that she was bored with her job because she'd rush to the nurses lounge on the pediatric floor for coffee and to chat with the nurses.
It was routine for the outgoing and incoming shifts to mingle in the lounge. She usually didn't want to leave. She preferred working on the pediatric floor more than she did in the OB and adult floors. I think she'd grown fond of the sick kids that kept us all busy to the point that we could use an extra set of hands. Shirley was encouraged with the children and teen patients progress, and their recovery was an encouragement for her to keep coming back to peek on them . She liked seeing them well enough even if they weren't being discharged to home, even if it was only a transfer to a step - down unit. Tears showed easily when a child on the floor died. Everybody liked Shirley.
A couple of weeks after the initial earring conversation I walked into the lounge. She saw me and immediately reached into one of the two pockets of her housekeeping uniform. With her stretched arms she handed me a red gift box. The kind that Avon jewelry came packed into,nested in white, delicate cotton. The gift box contained a pair of pierced earrings made of beads. A whole two bunches of generously cascading rounded, metal beads in a burnt red color; and surrounded by delicate leaves at the top. I think my impatience showed, because Shirley offered to help me put them on right away. I didn't know if the earrings matched my outfit -- and who cared, I had a white lab coat on most of the day anyway. I liked my red earrings. So much that I wore them often for months, a gesture that made Shirley notice and beam with joy. A person that exudes happiness is typically noticed.
A personality so pleasant that her absence one day would not go unnoticed. My duties changed almost on a monthly basis. When it involved outpatient clinics, it meant that I wasn't expected to be at the hospital, one reason being the travel distance between the sites.When I picked up hospital ward duties one Monday, Shirley wasn't at the pediatric floor . I figured that she had been assigned to the adult floors. But then came Tuesday, and I hadn't seen her either. I was beginning to worry by Wednesday, when I decided to go to the nurse supervisor's office to ask if Shirley had been on vacation. I pretended not to hear what the supervisor had just said.
"She died", the supervisor said. "Shirley died last week of an M.I.". I was dumbfounded. The supervisor didn't know much about the circumstances.Shirley seemed to be in great shape for her age. The thoughts reverberated in my brain. Apparently there were no prior signs nor symptoms of something being amiss with her health. And how could she have died of a heart attack... thoughts reverberating.
I continued to wear Shirley's red earrings almost like a standard earlobe fixture to accessorize my wear. I wore them like hardware, with my heart; in memory of a lady that beamed happiness in very unusual places; like in the children's floor, where the agony of pain and the fear of needles sometimes was all they had to look forward to; or, like in the heavily transited hallways and sick people's rooms splattered with visible and invisible pathogens and secretions. Wherever she went in our little sick world, she made it brighter.
Almost 20 years have passed since I received the beautiful, unselfish gift of the red earrings. Some years had already gone by before I discovered that the beads in my earrings were in the shape of hollie berries.
Hollies are a symbol of Christmas. Evergreen and beautiful. Reminding us all that brighter times are near, that springtime is just around the corner.
* Only the name in this story has been changed. This is a true story.
* Dedicated to a friend whom I wish I would have gotten to know more. Her kindness, optimism and joy are remembered. She left a deep void in the hearts of those that worked the hospital floors, especially in the pediatric ward. Rest in Peace, Shirley.
waiting for more on the blog story.
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Have been switching templates and I think this "semper fi" one will finally work
with the color scheme. Colorao!
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Love is everywhere as long as one is willing to perceive and acknowledge it.
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This is a great read L and kind gesture that will stand the test of time. I guess those earnings will always attest to that special lady. It's well written. My only suggestion would be to digest for the lay(wo)man the medical terms! Keep it up L. I'll be reading!
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Humbled that you made the rounds, JCB. Thanks for pointing this out -- following your suggestions, I've since linked the medical terminology with definition.
Looking forward to mutual exchanges, ideas and collaboration with your online video and iTunes consulting Law chats.
( Click on JCB's name above, or,*check link "consultas con jcb" on the BlogCast Home Favorites widgets also for link).
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She surely is a good soul based on your story about her.
Regards,
Sophia
theme parks uk
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Oh, Sophia, you're from the UK , too. Thanks for visiting my blog. Sorry, hadn't seen your comment before. So correction, you're the first entry from the United Kingdom. Thank you.
*She was wonderful, unforgettable.
** I will visit your blogs.
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That was a really nice story, I lost someone too last year but the few gifts they left me always remind me of them in a nice way. I now have the urge to buy some red jewelled ear rings, the only type of ear ring I don’t really have.
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Thank you. Humbled. You're the first person from the UK to comment, and I appreciate it.
I have other true stories with a jewelry theme. Perhaps I'll sprinkle them over time since sadness and nostalgia
seem to be the prevailing outcome. Oddly enough, whether I was given the piece, or I was the one giving it away, I still own part of each set. I'll visit your page. It'll help me to find out if you told me how you found my blog---still taking shape.
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Eso e slo k me gusta de ti, tu espontaniedad siempre eres tu y eso e slo mejor..nunka cambies!!
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I lost someone too last year but the few gifts they left me always remind me of them in a nice way. I now have the urge to buy some red jewelled ear rings, the only type of ear ring I don’t really have.
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What a great and sad story all in one. It seems like she was a very special person, and I am sorry you she is not a part of your life anymore. The ear rings are beautiful by the way!
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