Tag Archives: Nada

Meet Nada

We continue the waiting game for my body to start producing good blood. I am getting cold symptoms despite all the meds I am taking. I DID get unhooked from my IV pole today and now only need it twice daily for IV antibiotics! Whenever I am free from this dancing partner I hear this voice inside that says, “Run Forrest, run!”

One of the main events of my days in the hospital is visiting with the many staff. Sometimes the interactions are brief and others have already developed into friendships. Today’s story is about Nada, who gave me permission to write about her in this blog. image

Nada takes care of the housekeeping needs in my room. On day one I noticed two things about Nada: she has a beautiful big smile and she is a hard worker. I think it was on day three that Marcia and I learned her name, which she tells us means “hope” in her native Croatian. Day by day we build a little more relationship with this dear lady. We learned the story of how she came to the USA via Serbia during the wars in her homeland and how her father is still MIA. She enjoyed seeing a satellite picture on my iPad of Gospić, a town near where she grew up.

She admired the photos of our children and grand children and said how she misses her sisters who are still in her homeland and the mountains and sea. When we asked if she had pictures she ran to get her purse to show us beautiful photos of her family. At Christmas time we asked about her holiday traditions and learned she is Greek Orthodox. Nada speaks pretty good basic English but is self conscious about talking. We struggled over a Croatian word she used until Marcia looked it up using an online Croatian-English dictionary. It means “straw.” They put straw under the table at Christmas and hide candies and other goodies in it for the children. We looked online to find a Croatian-English workbook to help her with her English (Englez) but struck out. (Any ideas out there?)

We have exchanged addresses and phone numbers so we can get together after I am released from the hospital. Yesterday, while walking the halls and talking with Marcia on the cellphone, I saw Nada and asked Marcia if she wanted to talk with her. I handed the phone to Nada who asked Marcia if she is coming today. Learning that she isn’t coming, Nada tells Marcia, “I see you Friday; I miss you, Marcia.”

From little conversation to “I miss you” in three weeks. Isn’t it interesting the way God weaves the fabric of our lives together, sometimes for a season, and sometimes for all eternity.