Deede Jones

Retired DCS School Librarian - Wife, Boy mom, book lover, Colon Cancer survivor

[Deede Jones @Bookchick35]

@hicasamadim 50

[Deede Jones @Bookchick35]

@waitmaya 31

[Mr PitBull Stories @MrPitbull07]

"My name's Raymond. I'm 73. I work the parking lot at St. Joseph's Hospital. Minimum wage, orange vest, a whistle I barely use. Most people don't even look at me. I'm just the old man waving cars into spaces.
But I see everything.

Like the black sedan that circled the lot every morning at 6 a.m. for three weeks. Young man driving, grandmother in the passenger seat. Chemotherapy, I figured. He'd drop her at the entrance, then spend 20 minutes hunting for parking, missing her appointments.

One morning, I stopped him. "What time tomorrow?"
"6:15," he said, confused.
"Space A-7 will be empty. I'll save it."
He blinked. "You... you can do that?"
"I can now," I said.

Next morning, I stood in A-7, holding my ground as cars circled angrily. When his sedan pulled up, I moved. He rolled down his window, speechless. "Why?"
"Because she needs you in there with her," I said. "Not out here stressing."
He cried. Right there in the parking lot.

Word spread quietly. A father with a sick baby asked if I could help. A woman visiting her dying husband. I started arriving at 5 a.m., notebook in hand, tracking who needed what. Saved spots became sacred. People stopped honking. They waited. Because they knew someone else was fighting something bigger than traffic.
But here's what changed everything, A businessman in a Mercedes screamed at me one morning. "I'm not sick! I need that spot for a meeting!"

"Then walk," I said calmly. "That space is for someone whose hands are shaking too hard to grip a steering wheel."

He sped off, furious. But a woman behind him got out of her car and hugged me. "My son has leukemia," she sobbed. "Thank you for seeing us."

The hospital tried to stop me. "Liability issues," they said. But then families started writing letters. Dozens. "Raymond made the worst days bearable." "He gave us one less thing to break over."

Last month, they made it official. "Reserved Parking for Families in Crisis." Ten spots, marked with blue signs. And they asked me to manage it.

But the best part? A man I'd helped two years ago, his mother survived, came back. He's a carpenter. Built a small wooden box, mounted it by the reserved spaces. Inside? Prayer cards, tissues, breath mints, and a note,

"Take what you need. You're not alone. -Raymond & Friends"
People leave things now. Granola bars. Phone chargers. Yesterday, someone left a hand-knitted blanket.
I'm 73. I direct traffic in a hospital parking lot. But I've learned this: Healing doesn't just happen in operating rooms. Sometimes it starts in a parking space. When someone says, "I see your crisis. Let me carry this one small piece."

So pay attention. At the grocery checkout, the coffee line, wherever you are. Someone's drowning in the little things while fighting the big ones.

Hold a door. Save a spot. Carry the weight no one else sees.
It's not glamorous. But it's everything."

Let this story reach more hearts....

Credit: Mary Nelson

[The Albany Group @The_Albany_Grp]

Going 🆙

Our elevator is FINALLY fixed! Stop by our office for a free ride - we'd love to see you and celebrate this momentous occasion! 😉

#TheLittleThings #Elevator #FinancialAdvisor #Decatur

[CaregivingInsider @CaregivingTools]

People think the cancer journey is over when someone hears the word remission.
Not by a looong shot!!

A new stage is only beginning at that point.

#Cancer #Caregiver

[Alabama Men’s Basketball @AlabamaMBB]

748 points 🪣

@imcsears sets the Alabama record for most points scored in a single season! #RollTide

[Deede Jones @Bookchick35]

@RealEmirHan Kelly McGillis -Top Gun

[Deede Jones @Bookchick35]

@RealEmirHan Sixteen Candles

[Kirk Herbstreit @KirkHerbstreit]

🙏🏼

[Deede Jones @Bookchick35]

@NPWhite717 We will be praying for that precious child. 💙

[Deede Jones @Bookchick35]

@kwaojai @megbasham @Nvania I’ve lived in North Alabama my whole life. Glad to have you here!!

[Deede Jones @Bookchick35]

@HootenWilson “When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind. Paul Newman and a ride home. “

[Deede Jones @Bookchick35]

@FightCRC Stage 3C at age 48. NED almost six years!!

[Fight Colorectal Cancer @FightCRC]

If you are 45 or older, you should talk to your doctor about screening. But anyone, at any age can get #colorectalcancer.

⚠️ Some risk factors include:
-Personal history of polyps or cancer
-Inflammatory Bowel Disease
-Family history and genetics
-Smoking
-Excessive alcohol use
-Fatty diet
-Obesity

Learn more at https://t.co/YtkxpalZ6d

[Nina Vincoff MD @NinaVincoffMD]

It's #ColonCancerAwarenessMonth #ColorectalCancerAwarenessMonth

This patient-friendly video from @RadiologyACR explains colon cancer screening recommendations. Please share - it could save a life!

https://t.co/lAVpaFCM1m

[Inspire @InspireIsHealth]

#ColorectalCancer rates in younger people have been on the rise in recent years. More troubling, researchers aren’t sure what’s causing the cancers.

This #ColorectalCancerAwarenessMonth, our partners, @FightCRC are sharing the symptoms you need to know. 💪

[Kirk Herbstreit @KirkHerbstreit]

Absolutely incredible video. Congratulations to Jeremiah’s parents for raising such an impressive young man.

[The Albany Group @The_Albany_Grp]

The wait is over... we have officially moved into our permanent office space!
We cannot wait to host you in the near future.

#TheAlbanyGroup #DecaturAL #WealthManagement

[Fight Colorectal Cancer @FightCRC]

If you are turning 45 in 2023, it is time to schedule your #colonoscopy.

A colonoscopy is a medical procedure that allows a doctor to visually examine your entire colon & rectum using a scope. Most often, gastroenterologists (GIs) are the physicians performing the procedures.