One Tough Lady

I have been away from my computer for a week or so, for the most part, helping one tough lady. It is a long story, but one I will remember the rest of my life. I have always had a soft heart for folks in need, and this lady was definitely in need.
What she needed at the time I met her was a helping hand or two. I will probably never know the whole story of what brought her to my area, but I did get to meet her and work with her for about a week and a half.
It seems she has been a widow for about eight years and her home in California had been foreclosed on.She has three daughters,and one of them had moved to Kentucky in hopes of purchasing some ground and building a house. Nevertheless,this lady had relocated to Elizabethtown,I would guess, to be near her daughter,about the time of the ice storm.There she lived in an apartment until a few weeks ago. Her daughter and son-in-law were unable to get a clear title to the property they were trying to purchase,at least that's what I've heard.Something regarding liens and the nursing home and the previous owners.Nevertheless, they were having to move,and the mother would be going,too.The couple would be going back to Arizona, and the mother to California.The mother had accumulated quite a bit of "stuff" in the last 35 years, so she had it stored in several storage units in town.Now that the plan was in motion to go back out West,the mother took her possessions out of storage and embarked on narrowing it down to fit in the truck and trailer she would be driving back to California.This is where I get involved. She had everything she owned set out on the adjoining property of her daughter's neighbor.Another soft hearted person.Thus she was not on the daughters property, but the entire family had been told they MUST be off the property by Tuesday night or the law might be brought in.The electric was to be cut off Tuesday, also.
Anyway,a young friend of mine, had stopped by her yard sale,as did a few others we know from the auction.Between these few folks, they relieved her of a lot of her belongings, but she still had way too much "stuff" to fit on the truck and trailer she would be driving to make the trip back to California.The young friend of mine stopped by my house to offer me some of the books and things she had given him. I was astounded. Every book he had of hers, was the same or similar to the ones I have collected for years myself.It was eery.How could anyone have that many interests in as many things as myself.I suddenly felt compelled to meet her before she left the area.I jumped in my truck to go and meet her. I drove about 2 miles up the road, and talked myself out of the visit. I felt I had way too much to do to involve myself in something else.When I returned home , my Mother and Sister had dropped by for a visit. I told them the story about starting to go visit, but then,decided against it.My sister said that was the Lord telling me to go, but I had chose not to go. That really upset me, so we three, all went to visit the lady together.We visited and talked with her for several minutes. I told her that I would come and help her the next day to set up a yard sale in hopes of thinning down some of her possessions.Little did I know, I was committed for the next week or so. The longer I worked with her, the more details I learned, and the more I felt I needed to help her to the end.That would be Tuesday week,on the 26th.The daughter and son-in-law packed their things in the trailer, and left on their way back to Arizona, after the first day of meeting them.That left the mother, living in the yard with her possessions,and sleeping in her truck.The house was still open, but for the most part, it was unlivable.How the daughter lived there for the 3 years, is beyond me.Nevertheless, the mother and me,sorted, boxed, and taped for several days.We had a yard sale set up, but being on an off the main drag road, we had hardly no one to speak of stopping to buy. A few stopped mainly,I think, to be nosey.Then we had a pile just for the auction.I had told her I thought she would make more at the auction, than the yard sale.She did make more, but still very little, considering she had some nice pieces that went for a song.
I spent every spare minute with her for the next week and a half.Sorting,boxing,culling out her favorite possessions to take back to California. For the most of that time the weather was great for what we were doing, but the last two or three days, the wind and rain really made a mess of things. It was a struggle to keep things dry and covered until they were packed. To top that off, the young man that was helping, had taken her trailor to have better tires put on it, and found both wheel barrings were bad. That was fixed and she got loaded and all sealed up with tarps,tape,ropes, and tarp straps, and headed out to California bright and early on Wednesday morning.She has called and checked in with us several times since she left.She stopped once, but didn't call,but the second night she called from West Memphis,Arkansas. The next call,she was on the Oklahoma line. The next call, she was 20 miles short of Amarillo,Texas. She hasn't called since. She'll probably call tonight.One cannot help but be impressed by this 73 year old lady to tackle such a trip,driving an older overloaded truck,pulling a huge overloaded trailer,through all of the construction zones of Interstate 40.That is one gutsy lady. We wish her good weather and lots of kind folks along the way to help her when she needs help. Several have already been gracious enough to assist her when she needed it.May God be with her.