Thursday, July 21, 2016

HARD DECISIONS...

Over the weekend we went to my sweet MIL's home to help with a clean up project.  Earlier this year she had lost some fence sections and a shed due to a storm.  The family decided it was time to give her a little help on her property.  It was a good time even thought the work was hard!  Then on Sunday we stayed for worship time with everyone.  Afterwards we went to a great potluck dinner:

Small town church potlucks are still alive and well!  This one was really special, though.  An older couple (in their 90's!) were being honored, much to their surprise.  They had spent 50 years of their married life at this congregation and served in various ways.  they had made the decision recently to move to a retirement community in another city.  I don't even know all the ways they have served, but I do know that every time I visited they greeted me with a hug.  He would hand out the sermon notes.  She was a hostess for my wedding shower and also read a poem at that event that she had written especially for the occasion!  I'm told she has written numerous poems.  They also made a ministry out of taking others to doctor's appointments that were not just around the corner.  It's a trek to the nearest city!

As they were honored with kind words and presented with a gift and also cash, a poem was read in their honor.  They were humbled and could barely look up.  But she spoke and said something I thought was very wise and of course reflected their faith in God.


"When we moved here 50 years ago, we thought it was the right thing to do.  And now, we think this is the right thing to do."  She went on to describe the amenities at the retirement center and encouraged everyone to visit.  I was thinking about how she mentioned giving thought (and prayer, I'm sure) to the big decisions in their life together.  I'm sure this was one of the hardest ones!

Many times as adult children we are put in a very uncomfortable place in making decisions for our parents when they are no longer able to care for themselves.  It was nice to see these two making the decision on their own.  Their words spoke volumes but their actions even more.  It was a great example to all in attendance.  Thankful to be there Sunday!




2 comments:

Amy said...

Beautiful!

Unknown said...

Such a special day for a special couple! I was thinking of my wedding poem, too!