Christmas Good Will

Tonight I got to get out with my fellow church members and do some Christmas good will. It felt good, but it is mixed with a strange sadness for the elderly and a bit scary for my future when I too become one of the elderly.

Every year our women's group at church makes cookies then wraps them up and drives all over town in the church van (which is nice but the heat needs looked at, and not too much fun in -20 degree weather!) to deliver these wrapped cookies to the elderly home bound of our congregation. So we were making stops at assisted living facilities and so forth to do this. We took turns getting in and out of the van because it was so cold and there was ten of us crashing in on these places, we thought it best to only go with a couple at a time.

The only one I went into was to see this 75 year old lady named Carol at an assisted living nursing home. She has been living there for 10 years!!! She has MS, but not severe. She has four grown children (all live around here except her oldest son who lives in Pennsylvania), a slew of grandkids and she said two great grandkids. We brought her Sunday's alter flowers, cookies and a few Christmas carols to share with her. Despite her age and her MS, she seemed in a great condition, not necessarily unlike where I'd hope to be at 75 if I had to be in a nursing home. Then going down the hallway I see other elderly people in not such great condition. Needing machines to help them get into their wheel chairs, completely unaware of their surroundings or no ability to control their body. SO sad.

These people are just like you and me at one point and someday we will be like them, and I have to admit I am scared to death of being old and knocking on death's door. I consider myself a devout Christian, but death sometimes worries me to the point of hyperventilation.

Afterwards we went to Village Inn for dinner (9:30pm) and with only one other table in there waited a ridiculously long time for our food, so though we started at 6:30 and we only had five stops to make, I didn't get home until 11:00pm. Tony wasn't too happy. Sorry Tony! :)