Helen Bellamy

[Standing True]

Helen's last days

Several years ago--Helen was moved from the facility at Redbud Canyon to a care home in Georgetown , TX . Helen was with the K------ family for Thanksgiving the past few years. The attached photo was taken on Thanksgiving Day, 2007.

Then in December, she was moved to a care home just a few blocks from where we live. At that time, James W----- was still living and was there at the care home also. Since we had been taking James to gospel meetings(June D------- & Joyce L--------), we decided to try to take Helen too. She was so pleased to get to mtg. James passed away at the end of Dec. But Helen continued to go with us to gospel mtgs in Jan & Feb. (Helen was in a wheel chair & had to be pretty much lifted from the chair to the car, etc)

Although she could not absorb it all, she knew she was in meeting, and she commented about several of the friends that she recognized there. And she always had a special word for June D-------- after the mtg---often telling her with a smile: "practice what you preach".

Usually Helen didn't seem to have much to say, beyond a simple answer to questions. But every so often, she would surprise us with a joke, or a little saying:

"Why did he call her Oleo Margarine? Because he didn't know any butter."

"See the railroad crossing with all the cars? How do you spell that without any r's? T H A T."

She also like to talk about the time she rode a mule down into Grand Canyon (1947!) And she always was quick to say: "They told us not to try to guide the mules on the steep path. They knew the way".

Just last week, she was asked "How do you feel?" Helen replied: "With my fingers."

Our daughter, Andrea, sometimes works as a physical therapist--at the care home where Helen was. So it has been nice for her to be able to check on Helen and know the employees there.

Helen's blood pressure was low last week. Last night she seemed thirsty but wouldn't suck water thru the straw.......without some coaxing. We sang a few hymns, and left her hymn tape playing.

This morning Andrea went to check on her. She found Helen some worse with her blood pressure quite low, though the aide said Helen had drank a health shake for breakfast. So Andrea suggested to the employees there, that they contact Linda K------, who had the healthcare authority for Helen. They called Linda and she came to be with Helen. A few hours later, Linda called to say that Helen was not swallowing and that her feet were mottled. She thought the workers should be called. Our special meeting is this next Sunday, so quite a few workers are in town. A car full of workers was enroute to see Helen, when we got the word that she had passed away, early this afternoon.

It is a sweet release for Helen. She was 97 years old.

Her funeral will be Thursday.

[Standing True]

A Few Recollections of Helen Bellamy's Last Days



Helen came to the Wesleyan nursing home in Georgetown , Texas , from Redbud Canyon in Oklahoma on February 10th, 2005, when extra nursing care became necessary. Her mind at the time was clear on some days but on others she had difficulty in recalling words and memories. This intermittent pattern continued until her death. She could remember quite well that she was born in Haxtun , Colorado on September 7th, 1910. She professed when she was 13, and she started in the work in Wyoming on Octob er 7th, 1932 with Ida Batton. She was moved to the Hearthstone nursing home in Round Rock, Texas , in December of 2007, about three months before her death there on March 10, 2008.



During this time, on days when Helen struggled most with her memory, it was as if the memories were intact but the words to express them would come slowly or not at all. It was easy to get the false impression that she was missing things entirely, when, in fact, she was "gathering" a lot which she would sort out at a later time. She could often reflect on occurrences and words of earlier in the day and come forth with distilled comments about them in the afternoon or evening. It became clear that her mind often was just slow in processing information, not that it was unable to perceive at all. Once one understood the speed factor, and adjusted the visit to the required pace of the day, conversations and good visits were quite possible and most enjoyable.



Nonetheless, in the very foreign environment of a nursing home, she was quite disquieted by the flow of strangers caring for her -their strange language and behaviors. She longed for and took utmost joy in seeing any familiar face. She gallantly fought to remain focused on what had been familiar to her -news of the friends and workers, the hymns, the thoughts carried to her from meetings unattended. Even to the last days of her life she could retain news of a death and would know that she had heard about it. Never was she observed to forget once she heard of a friend or acquaintance passing to the other side.



It is true that Helen never seemed quite sure why it was necessary for her to be where she was. But, in courageous resignation she would say: "I will have to remember the better times." To those who saw her often, her graceful resignation to her foreign circumstances spoke loudly and did not belie the struggle and cost of this resignation -the battles fought alone against uncertainty, and factors regarding her present lot in life that did not seem to tally well.



Helen's overriding desire in her last days was to keep faithful to the very last. She had a very real fear of not being true at the very end of her life. She mentioned that it seemed as if Satan was often sitting on her shoulder and telling her she would not make it. This also left a great impression on those who were with her in the final days, as it spoke so eloquently that one ought never to count on coasting to the finish line just because circumstances for failing may seem limited and one's time in the fellowship long.



Many who knew Helen in her younger more "able" days have said they wished all could have known her then -how much help she was as a worker, how much help she gave individually and with what calm unwavering certainty she spoke of the things of the kingdom most precious. But, to us who were around her at the last she also gave a great deal as we observed her successful efforts at keeping herself and her visitors encouraged. Often we would find her sitting in her recliner, watching the door intently in hope of a visit. Her face would brighten the room as she would say, "I thought someone might come today!" She was always so appreciative of anything done for her and any time others spent with her. She enjoyed looking at photos old and new of familiar faces, and it was not hard to tell from her eyes that she had stories to tell of them and her days in the work now past the te lling



Here are just a few thoughts Helen left behind for us during the last days:



--Near election time: "Make your calling and election sure."



--While listening to hymns and humming along: "That makes you feel alive."



--Enduring lonely days: "Thou thinkest Lord of me."



--On mentioning some task needing to be done:



"If a task is once begun,

Never leave it 'til it's done

Be the labor great or small,

Do it well or not at all."



--One Sunday morning when she was not up to going out for meeting, while she was being prepared for the day she sang: "Today is Sunday morning, the day His saints will meet, to worship the loving Savior and to sit humbly at his feet."



--When time was mentioned, she would say: "Time is flying by.Be in time."



--To the comment that life certainly is a struggle sometimes: "Struggling soul press onward, it is the path is life. See all the faithful trod it.and conquered in the strife"



--A note was found she had written to herself: "Yes, all the faithful conquered in the strife."



And so it was, on March 10 --her last day, she struggled in the final strife. As she was enduring pain at the end, she kept repeating: "Calvary, my Calvary ." Most clearly it seemed she was taking courage for her own final struggle from remembering the Lord's faithful finish. As her spirit left --as she relaxed in death -- it seemed most clearly certain she too had conquered in the strife and her shield also was hung in victory.

[degem]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS! Gem