He Ain't Heavy; He's My Brother

Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show...(the opening lines of David Copperfield as written by Charles Dickens;inspired by MTM). Or at least this ACCOUNT will, perhaps, have a reflection on whether I'm going to be the hero in my own life.


...That's all I'm gonna spend
And I think,
It's gonna be alright
Yeah,
The worst is over now
The mornin' sun is shining
Like a red rubber ball~~~Cyrkle; Red Rubber Ball

Fridays are good days!! And Friday, 14 January 2011, was exceptional!! This is because of something that had come out of the clear blue~~~a week previous, would come to fruition. From the initial conversations, to the end result, it all materialized~~~on Friday!!

My brother Victor customarily visits our household on Sundays. We'll watch TV; usually sports, have a little supper, and then watch some more TV. In a family of 8 siblings, he is second-in-command~~~a year and one-half younger than myself. And while, because of the closeness of age and rank, there may have been some disagreements and misunderstandings throughout these many years, he is still~~~my Brother.

How much of a brother??? Well~~~when he came over last Sunday 9 January, 2011, he came with some literature in hand. Literature that, in effect, was discussing apparatei that would help to once again~~~have my house, become my HOME.

For those of you whom may not be aware, I am walking-impaired. The severity is now such that I only use the flight-of-stairs to access the Master Bedroom, once a day. It is not so bad going down the set of stairs in the morning. But going up the set of stairs, that includes a landing, is getting to be so laborious that it is almost prohibitive. To address this issue my good brother Victor, came over with some literature from Sheridan Surgical featuring the BRUNO power Elite chairlifts. These come in a couple of styles, as well as stock versions and the customized edition.

I looked over the literature, and called a contact I know at Sheridan Surgical. We had him come in and detail choices and pricing. While the customized TRACK was the most efficient consideration from a usage standpoint in that one would stay on the one seat as one would go up the first set of stairs, coast the short landing and then lift the rest of the way up the short second set of stairs, there was some other bullets to consider. Being customized, this was the most expensive version. And, it would take up to seven weeks to manufacture, and then be installed.

With the pricing difference that did exist between Standard and Customized, here is what we decided!!! For the staircase leading up to the second floor, we decided~~~a SLIP-SEAT OPERATION!! With the Standard Product in stock, Sheridan Surgical would be able to install by Friday, instead of waiting seven weeks. Because the landing is a 'small-sized' transition area, we decided the we would have the first-floor chair ride a rail up to the landing, slip-seat into a second chair waiting for me at the landing, and then go up the short second set of stairs~~~to the second floor.

And~~~with the difference in the price, between the custom package, and the BRUNO ELITE standard version, we decided that we were going to put a third CHAIRLIFT at the side-door set-of-stairs to get me up into my HOME, from the outside!!!

And I'll tell you what folks. These three Bruno Chairlifts~~~combined to become a major investment; a major expenditure. God blesses your life when He places Angels in your midst. My brother Victor became a guardian Angel as he blessed me with his generosity and covered the expenditures on the purchase and installation.

I humbly thank you Victor, for your considerations.
--{-=@
Hickok
The Promise

NB: So we are having a Saturday Evening Family get-together. It is centered around Erica going back to the University of Mississippi from her Christmas break, Philip having 'more' of his Birthday celebration, and having Victor included because of his very-giving generosity. At one point my wife Donna and USMC veteran son, Philip decide to do a trial-run on the Chair-lifts. As the conversation continues, Donna mentions that the service men 'recommended' using the seat-belts, but what the user does---after 'we' leave---is up to the customer. So Philip retorts---well I know Dad doesn't use the seat-belts; he doesn't use them when he's barreling 45 MPH in his van. To which Donna responds; "...his friend Maria, told him he has to wear a seat-belt, and he wears one."