Grateful for a caring community

Whether one realizes it or not, this is a wonderful community in which we have chosen to live. Yes with my military background where my little family was required to live on each corner of our beloved United States, north-south-east west we experienced a variety of customs and people but felt most comfortable returning to our roots here in southwestern Nebraska. Like everywhere it has its ups and downs but at heart, it is true community where people love and care about each other.

It was a simple car wreck or more accurately my SUV contacted the side of a semi-trailer hard enough that the semi-trailer’s rear wheels rolled over the engine compartment of my automobile. Grannie Annie and I were bounced around a bit tied in with seatbelts. No inflation of the airbags. No bones broken just bumps and bruises and for the old guy a pretty good concussion.

Typically those nearby stopped to help until our very professional EMS (Emergency Medical Services) personnel made it on scene. By ambulance Grannie Annie and I were transported to our Community Hospital Emergency Room to be attended to. All in all nothing too unusual it happens all too often but this community has taken steps to be prepared for just such contingencies.

Neither Grannie Annie nor I have any memories of the crash scene or transportation to the Emergency Room. For me my circulatory system suffered a “heart block” (google it) heartbeat of 30 beats per minute which didn’t return to normal 72 beats per minute until the minute when they loaded me onto a helicopter for transport to Good Sam at Kearney.

Grannie Annie spent a day and a half being wonderfully cared for in our McCook Community Hospital. I took a more circuitous route of a night at Good Sam then ground ambulance to Bryan Heart in Lincoln. There for a couple of nights where I was implanted with a heart pacer and eventually sent back home in McCook to recover. The dislocated shoulder we’ll just ignore and let it heal itself. End of story!

Well not really as Grannie Annie and I have been so grateful to hear from countless strangers and dear friends “How are you doing? So good to see you. I prayed for you!” Plus the get-well cards, letters, phone calls, comments on social media and it even made the church bulletin. All in all, it has been a bit overwhelming to a more mature couple (Grannie doesn’t like the term old!) that just loves serving this community. I think that Jesus would be pleased at how you care for each other. I know that Grannie Annie and this old guy are grateful! God Bless.

That is how I saw it.

Dick Trail