A friend with a load on her back....

It has been two years since I worked at the school as a SPED Dept Aide as well as drive the big yellow school bus. Today was a day I thanked the Heavens that I was no longer a bus driver or an Aide. The snow was bad at pick up and I knew it would not be fun. I went to the gym to p/u Ryan and two friends that live near by. The crowd was a mass mayem of middle school kids that never saw snow in their lives,you would of thought. I look at the Aide who is holding the sign out clip board whom I worked with back then and she said "it must be nice waltching me knowing this could be you". I gave her a big smile and tought I LOVE THOSE BEARS>>>LOL .......We made it home slowly but surely and safely might I add. I dropped an e-mail to an old friend of mine from the bus company that I left 2 years ago. We keep intoch through e-mail at least 2x;s a week if not more. Funny thing she lives like 3 miles from me at the other side of town and we have such differnt lives we just can't get together. Since I have known her she has taken care of her twin sister and mother. She is a tropper. Her sister had a rear form of spinal cancer that caused her paralasis and Diana has been her caregiver for 7 years now. She lifts her and bathes her and does all the argous tasks that a nurse would do if she were in a nursing center. D can not be away from her home for more than two hours at a time. She always had the 1 trip route to get home fast. I would start her bus and make sure she could come as late as possible hop in and go. We spent many hours waiting and chatin at the schools if we did local field trips. She and I would get the really close ones, her b/c of needing to be home fast and me b/c I would have the boys with me and did not want them to be bus rats. I sent her a note telling her I hope her ride was fine in the snow and that she was safe. She knew I would loathe days like today when we drove together. I got an e-mail that she has not driven for 2 weeks b/c her sister took a turn for the worst. I know that she by no means feels that she is a hero to take care if Linda though she should. She is so sad that she can't be at the hospital b/c of the snow and the fact that her mother needs her too. It is so sad that she does EVERYTHING for her sister and still feels that she doesn;t do enough. She has needed back adjustments weekly b/c of the weight on her back from all the lifting ect. ...She refuses to have Linda in a home and feels it is her duty as her other half to do this for her twin. I think it is so awesome that she is such a good person to take that on. Her life came to a halt seven years ago to do this, that is why she took a bus driver job. I have to give her credit, that is a big deal. Her sister has not been out of the house in all those years except to drive to the hospital this past week. She uses a voice activated thing that types for her when she is on line and doing her work. She still works as an invester of some sort. It saddens me b/c I was trying to send a happy e-mail and you could just tell D was so down in the dumps. She feels that she did something wrong to make her have to go to the hospital. I tried to tell her that she is not a nursing home and she gives wonderful care despite the fact that she isn;t even a nurse. I wanted to put this out there to say an extra prayer for these two sisters and the mom. There should be an award for this women for giving of herself and putting her life on hold to take care day and night of her twin. I guess unless you are a twin you don;t know how strong that bond from womb to earth is. I think it more than your average sibling bond. You are basicly the same egg divinded in two and most likly so in tune with your "other half" it is like you just someone else. I know you get what I mean. So D my prayers, our prayers to all of you.........She got me through many a snowy/rainy days with "just use good judgement and keep it slow" /////Thanks Diana! God Bless!