Subscribe Love

Thanks for checking

by | Jul 22, 2022 | Opinion

People in the South check on each other.

I’m not sure if this happens elsewhere, but it’s almost innate for a person raised around where I was to check on folks.

In Ashdown, Arkansas, people left their keys in their cars, so they obviously didn’t lock their houses. So, if someone was checking on you, they would crack open your front door and yell, “Woo Hoo,” and wait until you yelled, “I’m here, c’mon in,” before entering.

When I say, “checking on” someone, I’m not talking about getting into other peoples’ business. That was the job of the older ladies in the church.

No, I’m referring to making sure that people you know are OK.

Some folks need checking on because they’re sick. You know these individuals need to be checked on because they made the prayer list at the church.

That is, if the aforementioned ladies in the church were on the ball.

Illness is an isolating thing. If you’ve ever battled serious health problems, you know this.

A person who has always been able to trust their body now has doubts. They aren’t sure if their health problem is a one-time thing or if this is the first of ongoing issues. They can be depressed.

These people need food and company. Even if you just drop off some biscuits and gravy and chicken spaghetti and watch Wheel of Fortune with them, they feel better when you leave than they did when you got there.

Some people need checking on because they’ve lost a loved one. There’s no better reason to check on someone than when they lose a family member.

I never minded going with my mother or grandmother to check on the sick but checking on people because of a death always made me uncomfortable. I didn’t know what to say, so it was awkward.

My grandmother told me that even if people didn’t seem appreciative when you go by to check on them during a loss, they do appreciate it. And that checking on people who’ve lost someone is about the most important kind of checking on someone that you can do.

I learned later that this was true when people came to check on my momma and me when we lost my sister and my father.

That chicken spaghetti came in handy. You don’t feel much like eating when you lose someone, but you certainly don’t feel like cooking.

Other folks need checking on because they’ve lost just about everyone and they’re all alone.

Time never moved slower than when I was a kid. I couldn’t wait to be in the next grade, or the next year older. Summers drug on and the clock always seemed to move slowly.

My great grandmothers had outlived just about everyone. When I would stay with them during summers, I could tell that time moved slowly for them too.

They would play dominoes with my sister and me. They always won because somehow they always knew what dominoes we had. But it was fun and helped pass the time.

I later realized that by my sister and me spending time with them, in a way we were checking on them.

There also were always lots of other good folks checking on my great grandmothers. I appreciate that.

Every now and then, someone we knew wound up in the hospital. Usually it was someone older, but there was always a baby being born, or sometimes a car wreck.

The hospital people always got flowers. We weren’t allowed to take them biscuits and gravy or chicken spaghetti. They had to eat what the hospital gave them.

I always thought the food I saw on the trays the nurses brought them was the best reason ever to sneak them in some biscuits and gravy and chicken spaghetti.

Hospital food can make a person want to make a jail break. Once when I was in the hospital, I tried to bribe a nurse for a cheeseburger. When that didn’t work, I snuck down to the cafeteria and ate a plate of beef tips and noodles, macaroni and cheese, and some cornbread.

When I got back, the nursing staff was waiting for me. I was reported to my doctor for being, “Less than compliant.”

That’s why when I’m checking on someone I know who’s in the hospital; I always sneak in some biscuits and gravy or chicken spaghetti.

There’s no sense in them being sick and getting caught sneaking out for real food instead of eating unsalted mush and Jell-O.

And sometimes, people just need to be checked on because they’re elderly. Lately, because of weather, authorities have encouraged folks to check on the elderly.

If you do, you can look around and see what needs to be done. Maybe their yard needs mowing or something broken needs fixing.

Whether someone needs help, something to eat, or nothing at all, checking on folks is the right thing to do.

Because one day, we’ll all need a good checking on, too.

By John Moore

Subscribe Love

0 Comments

Related News

What a trip

What a trip

Traveling isn't columnist John Moore's favorite activity. He's pictured here with his father on a camping trip circa 1966. Courtesy John Moore Bruce Willis ad libbed a line in Die Hard that struck a chord with me. No, not the “Yipee Ki-Yay,” line. I think...

read more
Kitsch me if you can

Kitsch me if you can

Columnist John Moore grew up with yard art, and still proudly displays a concrete gargoyle out on the front porch. Photo: John Moore Pink flamingos. Chalk and concrete figures. Cast iron pots with flowers. Old school bells. Cars on blocks. The yard art of yesterday....

read more
Put a pencil to it

Put a pencil to it

Columnist John Moore loves pencils. Even pencils that cost $30. Courtesy John Moore They call it, “click bait.” It’s when you come across something online that sounds amazing, so you click on it to learn more. Click bait is something that turns out to be nothing as...

read more
Time for a change

Time for a change

Last weekend, I did something I don’t think I’ve ever done before—I forgot to discuss the time change with my husband, the chief clock changer in our house. So when I woke up at 7:30 a.m. Sunday, I approached the day as “business as usual” and went downstairs to let...

read more
Voucher bill has backing of House majority

Voucher bill has backing of House majority

A slim majority of Texas House members have indicated they will back House Bill 3, which creates education savings accounts that allow families to use taxpayer money for private school education. The Dallas Morning News reported that 75 Republican legislators have...

read more
HB2988 threatens Texans’ right to free speech

HB2988 threatens Texans’ right to free speech

Marcus Winkler from Pixabay Imagine being the target of a vexatious lawsuit completely without merit in which you ultimately prevail—only to find out that you not only have to pay your attorney’s fees but also the other side’s.  That’s the likely outcome if the...

read more
Door number one

Door number one

Columnist John Moore has some milk bottles to return, but the milkman no longer stops by his home. Courtesy John Moore Social media, for all of its faults, every now and then offers something worthwhile. I’m a member of a group on Facebook called, “Dull Men.” The only...

read more
The perks of good coffee

The perks of good coffee

Columnist John Moore noticed a tear on his coffee cup and himself after a recent purchase at a high-dollar coffee shop. Courtesy John Moore On a recent trip, I remembered why I like to stay home.  Coffee. After throwing back the covers from my rented room, I...

read more
Subscribe Love