Conversations with the Elderly.
Recently while visiting some folks, I met two very different people.
One is 61 years old. The other, perhaps another 10 to 20 years old.
"Mary" is stable, large, and very up-front about things. When asked if she would like to sing & what, she will say, "What's wrong with number 64?" Her favorite song is about the little brown church in the wildwood. Although she is not an eloquent speaker, she has memorized a farewell message that is given to everyone who will let her mention it to them. I would reproduce it in whole, but in part it includes, "How's your family? ... When you see them, tell them I love them, I miss them, and I send them my greetings. Hope you have a good afternoon, and a good year. Happy Holidays for this year and all the years to come. See ya later Gator. See you later, have a good night, don't let the bedbugs bite, and I'll see you in the morning. ..."
When I visitted her to get acquainted, she told me her story: She had been in special ed. her whole life in part due to an injury, Tom Thumb was one class, for example. She lived in "institutions" for quite a while due to the loss of family. The chronicle of various troubles & trials & abandonments followed. In brief, when she was a baby, they did not expect her to live out of infancy. When she was 8, the doctors told her parents that they should not expect her to live to be sixteen. She said after that, "Well, here I am, 61, and where are they?"
"Good question."
We talked a little about the glory & wonder of God. She said that some people said that they thought she was crazy, "What do you think?"
"You seem pretty alright to me. Though they say that we're all a little crazy. I know people have said that I am crazy. And maybe I am. But I think that all that matters is that I love the Lord & that you do too."
"I guess so."
...
silence
...
It is in times like that when we need silence. To really be in awe & reverence of the mighty hand of God who formed us, made us, and keeps us alive by His Spirit. Many sermons have had less content than the little conversation we had, though we said very little.
====
Later, I stopped by and had a longer conversation with a woman who had disrobed herself at one point, but did not realize it at the time. She was simply hot. She needed to cool off. And she ended up very embarrassed when she later recovered a degree of connection from the miasm of dementia.
She did not know her name. She did not recognize the words God or Jesus. But she seemed to recognize the motions for prayer as something which might help. She was hard of hearing. She talked about how she would go to the doctor for various things, and finally realized that her mind was not what it used to be, "I'm ... not ... normal. ... Am I ... cr ... crazy??" This weighed very heavily on her and formed the bulk of our conversation for 10-20 minutes. Over the same things several times. Finally, I thought to try to show her a picture book.
She had the bearing of someone who had once been very intelligent, but had somehow lost that as she sank inward while her brain deteriorated, all while she sought to maintain the highest of dignity.
When I returned from home with two books, one was The Picture Bible by Cook Communications. She didn't like it. Too busy with the pictures. Too small of details that had to be focussed on.
We stuck with a picture book of lots and lots of different scenes of nature. Page after page of photographs which were very stunning. She could not read some pages because the print was too small & brain issues. Others had very large letters in very light print declaring God's glory. She laughed as though she saw nothing.
But looking at the pictures, she seemed to be engaged. I tried saying "God made that" or such things ... no response or a negative one. I said simply, "Pretty." (feeling very self-conscious at the time since I was in the dining room & had to talk loudly to be heard). She smiled & nodded. Turn the page. Turn the page. Turn the page.
Finally after closing it. She clapped her hands as though she had heard an orchestra & said "Beautiful."
She relaxed ... almost sleepy.
God is a good God. Even when we forget His name.
His works are studied by all who are wise.
May Jesus Christ be praised.
MJH
One is 61 years old. The other, perhaps another 10 to 20 years old.
"Mary" is stable, large, and very up-front about things. When asked if she would like to sing & what, she will say, "What's wrong with number 64?" Her favorite song is about the little brown church in the wildwood. Although she is not an eloquent speaker, she has memorized a farewell message that is given to everyone who will let her mention it to them. I would reproduce it in whole, but in part it includes, "How's your family? ... When you see them, tell them I love them, I miss them, and I send them my greetings. Hope you have a good afternoon, and a good year. Happy Holidays for this year and all the years to come. See ya later Gator. See you later, have a good night, don't let the bedbugs bite, and I'll see you in the morning. ..."
When I visitted her to get acquainted, she told me her story: She had been in special ed. her whole life in part due to an injury, Tom Thumb was one class, for example. She lived in "institutions" for quite a while due to the loss of family. The chronicle of various troubles & trials & abandonments followed. In brief, when she was a baby, they did not expect her to live out of infancy. When she was 8, the doctors told her parents that they should not expect her to live to be sixteen. She said after that, "Well, here I am, 61, and where are they?"
"Good question."
We talked a little about the glory & wonder of God. She said that some people said that they thought she was crazy, "What do you think?"
"You seem pretty alright to me. Though they say that we're all a little crazy. I know people have said that I am crazy. And maybe I am. But I think that all that matters is that I love the Lord & that you do too."
"I guess so."
...
silence
...
It is in times like that when we need silence. To really be in awe & reverence of the mighty hand of God who formed us, made us, and keeps us alive by His Spirit. Many sermons have had less content than the little conversation we had, though we said very little.
====
Later, I stopped by and had a longer conversation with a woman who had disrobed herself at one point, but did not realize it at the time. She was simply hot. She needed to cool off. And she ended up very embarrassed when she later recovered a degree of connection from the miasm of dementia.
She did not know her name. She did not recognize the words God or Jesus. But she seemed to recognize the motions for prayer as something which might help. She was hard of hearing. She talked about how she would go to the doctor for various things, and finally realized that her mind was not what it used to be, "I'm ... not ... normal. ... Am I ... cr ... crazy??" This weighed very heavily on her and formed the bulk of our conversation for 10-20 minutes. Over the same things several times. Finally, I thought to try to show her a picture book.
She had the bearing of someone who had once been very intelligent, but had somehow lost that as she sank inward while her brain deteriorated, all while she sought to maintain the highest of dignity.
When I returned from home with two books, one was The Picture Bible by Cook Communications. She didn't like it. Too busy with the pictures. Too small of details that had to be focussed on.
We stuck with a picture book of lots and lots of different scenes of nature. Page after page of photographs which were very stunning. She could not read some pages because the print was too small & brain issues. Others had very large letters in very light print declaring God's glory. She laughed as though she saw nothing.
But looking at the pictures, she seemed to be engaged. I tried saying "God made that" or such things ... no response or a negative one. I said simply, "Pretty." (feeling very self-conscious at the time since I was in the dining room & had to talk loudly to be heard). She smiled & nodded. Turn the page. Turn the page. Turn the page.
Finally after closing it. She clapped her hands as though she had heard an orchestra & said "Beautiful."
She relaxed ... almost sleepy.
God is a good God. Even when we forget His name.
His works are studied by all who are wise.
May Jesus Christ be praised.
MJH