MY AGE OLD OR OLD AGE MINISTRY

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I sure did! I had a Thanksgiving lunch with my mother-in-law at her nursing home. I knew that I had a ministry with the “residents” but only just recently realized how enjoyable it has become. The “ladies” is how I would like to refer to them, not residents or patients, how I used to refer to them. All these ladies are in their 90s and one in her early 100s. When you take the time to listen to them and interact with them you find out they are still the people they used to be, they just cannot express themselves any more. Most of them still have a sense of humor or express themselves in such a way as to be humourous without them know it. It is amazing how gracious and thankful these ladies are whenever you do any little thing for them. Most of these ladies never have anyone visit them on a daily basis like my mother-in-law has so I always try and talk with them for a little while. One lady when she sees me, motions for me to come to her and would like to have a conversation so she says. But sadly it is hard to do that when you are in a nursing home with nothing to stimulate your mind. Everyone has something wrong, loss of hearing, unable to speak much, can’t speak loud enough, etc., so it makes it hard for them to communicate unless you want to talk about the same thing all the time. Maybe that is why I enjoy it so much, don’t have to be an expert in conversing!

My mother-in-law has her second roommate, the first, oh! I forget her name! Anyway I got to see her on her death bed and thought it was beautiful! She was going home! Something I long for with all my heart, to be out of this sinful crazy world! Her present roommate is very delightful but very forgetful. First time I met her, I introduced myself and said that my mother-in-law was her roommate. She said she was glad to hear that because no one ever told her anything. Today at the table we were discussing the Thanksgiving day meal, pretty soon another delightful lady joins us at the table and I tell her it is Thanksgiving as they never know what day it is. And Mother’s roommate said, “Oh, I didn’t know it was Thanksgiving”!

I call my mother-in-law, “mother”, always have, as she has always been special to me. I knew that she was to be a ministry to me after her husband passed away about 4 years ago and she has been in this home for about 3 years now. I makes me feel good whenever my husband visits her and says that she asks what I am doing. Just recently our son, his wife and their little daughter went to visit her and she asked what I was doing! I wouldn’t think that she would even think about me when she hasn’t seen her grandson and great-granddaughter in a long time.

All these ladies have their special idiosyncracies, one is always humming, sits straight up on the couch and watches t.v. all day, no problem to anyone. One wants to escape from the place because she feels neglected by the staff so I try to comfort her and talk to her. One asked me for the phone number of the police department when she first came as “she was stranded”, but she has adjusted to living there as she realizes she needs the help she gets there. The 100 year old still gets around with her walker but can hardly hear. She and Mother sit next to each other at the table and even though they cannot communicate, they are the best of friends!

It makes me feel really good when I go in there and I can give comfort to these ladies and help break the monotony of the day. It lifts my spirit when they are being funny and don’t realize it as I realize that someday I will be in that same situation unless the Lord comes back first.

A merry day to you from the merry heart.