Dear family member,
I hope this letter finds you well. As I look forward to what lies ahead in 2014,
one of my highlights is definitely getting together with our family when
Grandma Carol comes to town. As the years
have gone by and I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown fonder of family gatherings and
the memories made and shared there. As
time passes, our families age, grow, change, and our family gatherings change
as well. This new year has already seen
some of those changes.
On Monday, December 30th,
my mom suffered a significant stroke and a mild heart attack. Her immediate recovery process includes
several weeks of acute rehab at Southern Hills hospital and an upcoming surgery
clearing a blockage in a carotid artery.
At the time of the stroke mom lost all movement of her right arm and
leg. At the time of this writing she has
regained some use of the leg, but there has been little change in her arm. While we do hope for major recovery, we are
also preparing for lifestyle changes for mom and dad.
The immediate changes Ashley and I
are preparing for involve two major efforts.
The first is in giving mom and dad our minivan to aid in their
travels. The second involves making mom
and dad’s home more handicap accessible.
In this second area we would like to ask for your help and
involvement.
I am including in this letter plans
that I have made to build a handicap access ramp for the house. After designing them personally I submitted
them to dad for his approval. I begin
construction on Monday, January 13th. Due to mom and dad’s family medical and legal
expenses from the last few years as well as upcoming expenses, I think they
could use a little help. While Ashley
and I are prepared to finance the handicap ramp ourselves we believe involving
the family in the cost could do a lot more good than simply alleviating a
financial burden.
It is no surprise that at times
relationships between family members can be strained. In my experience, the kindness and support shown
by others are often the salves and bandages that help heal old wounds. I’m asking family members to join with us in
the cost of this project as a way of showing unified support and encouragement
for mom and dad. I know that they would
appreciate knowing that family cared for them in such a tangible way.
After drawing up the ramp and
calculating costs at Home Depot, the total sum of material prices comes to
$916.99. Would you please consider
helping us in providing those funds? Our
plan is to make a sign to hang on the ramp that would read like the following
statement “This structure has been lovingly donated by various members of the
Wiles family including…” We commit to
adding names to the sign of anyone who donates any amount no matter the
size. Names will be added in order of
age to ensure that everyone’s donation is valued equally. This sign will serve as a regular reminder
that our familial bonds do not decay with age or distance, but that our love
for each other continues to conquer the hurdles that life throws our way.
I do
not plan on informing my parents of this plan until after the ramp and sign are
completed. If you would like to
participate in donating funds, we would like you to follow these simple steps.
1.
Don’t say anything about this effort to mom and
dad.
2.
Contact me immediately to let me know of your
intent to participate so that I can get your name on the sign. Cell: 615-668-6343 Email: topherwiles@gmail.com Facebook:
Christopher Wiles
3.
Send funds once they are available by snail mail
to:
Christopher Wiles
304 Hillside Dr.
Washington, IN 47501
4.
OR use the following internet link to donate
through a secure encrypted Paypal portal.
You may use your own PayPal account, debit card, or credit card through
this link. http://wilesfamilyproject.blogspot.com/2014/01/handicap-ramp-donation.html
5.
Please remember that it is my belief that the
size of donation does not determine its value, it is truly “the thought that
counts” in this effort to support and encourage mom and dad.
Feel free to
contact me with any questions or suggestions.
I am grateful to be a member of the Wiles family with you. If there are ways we can help you as well,
please don’t hesitate to let us know.
May God strengthen us in our relationships with Him and each other.
Sincerely,
Christopher
R. Wiles
“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. 10 For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. 11 Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.” - Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
“Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. 10 For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. 11 Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? 12 And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.” - Ecclesiastes 4:9-12
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