128 ~ People Change

By Kay Heitsch

I would try to go to Planet Fitness at a time when I would see people who came in early and those who came after work. I rarely went on the weekends, but did go often during the week.

It was interesting, but I met a shirt-tail relative of Beas' at Planet Fitness. Bea did not like this guy because Joe had been in a motorcycle gang in Texas and was nothing but trouble, according to Bea.

Joe must have mellowed by the time I met him, because he was a very nice guy, but Bea refused to meet him.

Joe would walk next to me on the treadmill, so I learned a lot about him. Joe said he had been heavy, but he had lost a significant amount of weight because he had developed heart issues.

One day, Joe told me he was going to Texas to attend a reunion with his motorcycle gang. He was proud to have lost weight and couldn't wait for the guys to see him.

On several days a week, Joe would stop at Sam's Club and buy rotisserie chickens for his dog. I never asked what kind of dog he had, but he loved this dog.

Joe had a girlfriend who enjoyed cooking. I would bring in recipes for him to share with her.

One day, before I left for PF, I had the local news on. I looked up and I saw the obituaries going by. I noticed a guy's name was the same as Joe's. I thought to myself that I would ask Joe if this guy was related to him.

When I walked into PF, the manager asked to talk to me. She brought me back to her office and told me Joe had died! He had taken his girlfriend to the airport and had a heart attack in his truck on the side of the road. I felt very sad.

Joe's girlfriend had a memorial for Joe at a Country Club that I attended. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people from Planet Fitness who were there. These Planet Fitness people were like family, and they showed it by attending Joe's memorial.

I met one of Joe's gang members at the memorial who had come from Texas to pay his respects. He mentioned how surprised the guys were to see Joe nice and slim.

Bea might have liked Joe if she had given him a chance. People change! I was happy I had met him.

Remember how I led you on this long journey. Deuteronomy 8:2

127 ~ The PF Billboard

By Kay Heitsch

Knowing I would be alone while Bill was on the road, I made an effort to stay in shape.

I got up early, before 6:00, and did my cleaning and Ball workout before heading out to help these ladies. Sometimes in the winter, I had to shovel to get out. I was walking in the neighborhood too, as often as I could.

Being in my 60s and mowing with the push self-propelled mower, and shoveling, with Little RED wasn't always easy. I had energy, but I wasn't strong.

Bill was home one weekend, and we were out. I noticed a billboard advertising Planet Fitness. I told Bill I wanted to check it out. I joined and became a Black Card member.

As a Black Card Member, I could bring a friend and use the tanning beds, massage chairs, and massage water bed. Believe me, after mowing and shoveling, that massage water bed felt great!.

Not everyone thought going to this PF location was a good idea. PF was in a mall where most of the stores were closed. I was informed that this area had some issues. So what do you think I did?

I befriended all the intimidating-looking bodybuilders in the club. It was great! These guys called me "Mom." I knew if I needed to ask for help, they were more than willing to help.

God was taking good care of me with many PF friends. I was a member of PF for over 7 years. I'll share a few stories later.

Remember how I led you on this long journey. Deuteronomy 8:2

126 ~ My Last Time With Bea

By Kay Heitsch

Bea was an interesting person. Having been with her for six years, I have learned a great deal.

Bea loved to call companies on the phone to complain. I got a kick out of all the free stuff she managed to receive.

When we went shopping, she had no problem going to the service desk and demanding to speak with the store manager. Once, we actually had security follow us around.

Bea's Will was a constant point of her conversation. I couldn't quite figure out why she talked about it so often. I wondered if she had some crazy idea that I was after her money. Because of that, I tried to make sure I clipped enough coupons, etc, so she never even paid me the $15.00 a day.

I drove Bea to the bank and lawyers' offices often. When I did, I never went inside the offices with her. I either sat in her car or the lobby. I wanted to make sure she could see I wasn't being nosey.

When Bea's sister died, I went into the funeral home only for moral support while she took care of business there.

The last day I was with Bea was at night. I had been over to the cemetery that day, putting Todd's winter decorations on. I was tired both physically and emotionally. It had been a long day.

After I was home for a while, Bea called. She said she needed to go to the ER. This wasn't anything unusual. I had taken Bea to the ER at night several times.

When I arrived at Bea's house, she was actually sitting out in the driveway in the dark. I thought that was very weird! Also, she didn't want me to drive her old white Cadillac. She wanted me to drive my car.

Once she was in my car, I ran inside her house, grabbed a key from the counter, and locked her back door before closing the garage door. Big mistake!

As I was driving out of Bea's neighborhood, she yelled for me to stop! It freaked me out, but I did stop! Immediately, she opened the door and threw up.

We arrived at the ER, where they eventually put Bea in a room and did some tests. I waited with her until they said Bea would be admitted. It was after midnight, and Bea told me I should go home.

Bea got up off the bed in the ER and walked me to the door. I gave her a hug, and her last words were, "Kay, you will get your reward in heaven!"

I drove back to Bea's house to put her purse inside. However, the key that I took from the counter did not open any door. I was in a panic, but it was late.

When I got into bed, I got on FB because I loved seeing comments about Todd's grave. I thought it would help me to relax. However, someone posted something negative, and it broke my heart. This had been a long day.

Be careful what you post. You have no idea what a person has been going through.

I called Bea's brother, and he said he had a key. Praise the Lord!

I went back to the hospital to see Bea, but she was totally out. The nurse asked me not to wake her up because she was a handful! I bet she was!

Bea died a couple of days later, right around Christmas, just like Lucille.

Remember how I led you on this long journey. Deuteronomy 8:2

125 ~ The Hug

By Kay Heitsch

The phone rang; it was Bea, my 86-year-old friend, calling. Bea was wondering if I could take her to Flint to see the eye doctor. I assured her I could, so I drove over to her home on the scheduled appointment date to pick her up.

Bea's eyesight was failing, so she could no longer drive. However, she still kept her old white Cadillac and insisted that I drive it whenever we went anywhere.

Bea's appointment went well, and we were on our way to grab a bite to eat. It was a cloudy day, but we didn't have any rain or snow.

We were at a complete stop at a stoplight when someone hit us from behind. Bea was furious, to put it mildly. She started to call this person a few choice names. I knew this situation was about to get very ugly.

Flint is a town that, on occasion, has been listed as #1 in murders/crime/arson for its size in the USA. Detroit has a slogan about being bad, but at least it's not as bad as Flint.

There was really no reason for someone to rear-end the car, so I wasn't sure what was going on when I pulled over.

I was feeling a little tense when I got out of the vehicle. As I walked around the car, a young black woman got out with an attitude. I could see all the other doors on her car starting to open.

For some reason, I walked over to this young woman, put my arms around her, and gave her a hug. When I gave her a hug, all the other doors shut!

Bea got out, and when she saw me hugging this girl, she calmed down. I called the police, and they responded, taking a report.

I really don't know what was actually going on that day. I believe the Lord put the thought to hug this girl in my mind. The hug saved us all from what could have been a very uncomfortable scene.

Remember how I led you on this long journey. Deuteronomy 8:2

124 ~ Where Are We?

By Kay Heitsch

I had a little routine going. I helped Arlene on Monday. My mother-in-law is on Tuesdays and Fridays, and Bea was on Thursday. On occasion, I helped Twyla on Wednesdays.

Twyla loved to have me drive her around. One day, she wanted me to drive her to her old stomping ground, where she lived in a city when she was young. I had no idea where we were going, but Twyla gave me directions as best as she remembered.

Well, Twyla didn't remember as well as she thought, and we ended up in some rough area. Maybe she had lived in this area years ago, but times had changed, and Twyla didn't recognize where we were.

I had a little flip cell phone. Of course, no GPS. I called a friend and told him we were lost. Gary asked me to find a street sign. When I told him the name on the sign, he said, "Get out of there right now! You're in the red light district!" I stayed on the phone with Gary, and he directed us out, thank the Lord!

Areas in cities undergo changes over time. Bill's grandpa built a beautiful home when he was young. He refused to move when the area of the city began to deteriorate. To make a long story short, he was murdered in his home by a couple of neighbor teenagers. It was a nightmare!

Perhaps this was why I felt so strongly that Twyla and I needed to get out of that area. I was glad to have someone to call for help.

Remember how I led you on this long journey. Deuteronomy 8:2

123 ~ Bea's Blind Date

By Kay Heitsch

I asked Bea how she met her husband, and she told me this funny story, which wasn't too funny at the time.

Bea was friends with a couple while she was single. One day, they told Bea they had a friend they thought she might like to meet. Everything was arranged for a double blind date.

However, the couple had an argument and decided not to go on the date, but told Bea she should go anyway. So, Bea agreed to go and meet her blind date.

Everything was going well until they were in John's car, on their way home. All of a sudden, the police were pulling them over. They grabbed John out of the car and threw him on the hood. Bea was in shock! Bea didn't know who this guy was and what she had gotten herself into.

After a lot of hoopla, the police decided they had the wrong man and let them go. Just so happened, John was driving a car that resembled a stolen vehicle the police were searching for.

This was quite a blind date and a wild way to meet your husband. Bea always spoke well of John, and they were married for many years.

This seemed like it might be a tragedy, but it turned out to be a triumph for Bea.

Remember how I led you on this long journey. Deuteronomy 8:2

122 ~ Another Commitment

By Kay Heitsch

While I was still helping Arlene, one morning a week, Nancy was informed about another woman seeking assistance. Nancy called me, and since I was home alone, I decided to go over and meet her.

Nancy let me know that this was going to be a paid job, so when Bea offered $15.00, I figured that was for an hour, as that was the going rate. I was in for a surprise when Bea meant $15.00 a day. But in fact, it was sometimes $15.00 a week of running back and forth.

Nancy asked how it was going, and I told her about the $ 15.00-a-day situation. Nancy immediately told me I should say something. However, I felt that I had said $15.00 was fine, so it was my fault.

Bea and I spent a lot of time together. She would often say she wished I were her daughter. I enjoyed spending time with her. I learned a lot about her life.

Bea never had any children. Her parents came to the USA from another country. Bea had a brother and a sister, whom I met over the years. Bea's husband had died before I met her.

Bea had a vision problem and was unable to drive. For some reason, she kept her old Cadillac, and she insisted I drive it whenever we went anywhere. I'll share a story later about being rear-ended at a stoplight. Wow!

I drove Bea all over. She liked to shop at Meijer, so I got online and made sure she got all her coupons. I had coupons to eat lunch, so in reality, I saved her over $15.00 a week. I got a kick out of it.

Life with Bea was, to say the least, interesting. I never mentioned anything to Bea about the $15.00 despite helping her for six years.

Remember how I led you on this long journey. Deuteronomy 8:2