I have taken on another side job providing respite care for an elderly couple in our church. That is the thing with older churches, you have a lot of elderly people that need help. I have been praying about taking on extra work and this seemed to be the ticket. It is twice a month for a couple of hours each time.
Believe me, it is no walk in the park. It is hard to see people grow old and not be able to take care of their basic needs anymore. For this couple, they lost a daughter and granddaughter several years ago. This tragic event had a devastating impact on the mother. She lost the will to live. She stopped living. She is breathing, eating, and sleeping, but her will is gone. She has given up on life. All day she sits in her chair and does nothing. The tv is constantly going but more for noise than entertainment. She looks at the paper but couldn't tell you what it is about. Yesterday, I spent four hours with this dear woman so that her husband could go to town for appointments and errands. I cleaned house for them and prepared her evening meal. I tried my best to engage her in conversations. While dusting I would take down each picture of the shelf and ask her to tell me who the people were in the photos and get her to talk about them.
More than ever I am thankful for my parents and their health.
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