by Jesse Abel
A Word from Papa “J”
The wisdom of the lumberjack is revealed in his axe. The one who uses it wisely needs less strength and time then the one who lacks wisdom. Ecclesiastes 10:10
Good Morning
While I was employed as Director of Housing in a small town in Connecticut, there was a man who lived in one of the Elderly units on the second floor. He was in his early nineties when he moved in and stayed with us for four years. He was a quiet and gentle man and ever so often his daughters would come and take him shopping.
Whenever they would return he always came in with a little doggie bag from one of the local restaurants and it was just a charming sight to see him with the bag or one of those plastic foam containers marching through the hallway to the elevator. I say marching because he was nearly blind and refused help, even from his daughters. Serious business for this gent but really quite comical to those of us who were blessed with knowing him.
Being that it was hard for him to see he would pick his legs up high, like one marching; he did this in order not to trip over things that could be in the way. One day I saw him pass by my office door and said hello! “Hi Jess, I am going for a walk” “yes” I replied; “it is a nice day for a walk” so off he went. It was about ten minutes when the tenant under his apartment came an explained that water was dripping from the ceiling in her kitchen.
I ran upstairs and using my entry key opened the door. I was immediately hit in the face with black smoke and running water over my shoes. My poor gentleman tenant had placed two hot dogs on the stove for lunch and had used the faucet to put some water in the pot to boil the dogs. The Town Fire Department cleaned the smoke and the water from the apartment and my gentleman tenant was so broken up that he cried; “I forgot my lunch, oh! oh! I forgot my lunch” and in this I can hear his mournful wails.
Ever now and then I think of this event as I watch myself advance in age. Now I do not mind getting old and neither should you. God has placed a time and a season for everything under the sun and if we look at life from the burning heat of the day with all of its problems we will always be putting out fires and squeezing out the mop. It is serious business for the elderly to age and but when we work with them and not against them the process is peaceful, joyful and hopeful. Hey! Isn’t that what love is? Ecclesiastes 11:1-14 (mankind under the sun).
Some would say it is because his mom is living with him right now and maybe that is true, but maybe not. There is a certain experience of joy I feel when I am around the elderly and I have always felt this, even when I was young. Maybe it is that the elderly are like children. No threat!
The wisdom of the lumberjack is revealed in his axe. The one who uses it wisely needs less strength and time then the one who lacks wisdom. Ecclesiastes 10:10
Good Morning
While I was employed as Director of Housing in a small town in Connecticut, there was a man who lived in one of the Elderly units on the second floor. He was in his early nineties when he moved in and stayed with us for four years. He was a quiet and gentle man and ever so often his daughters would come and take him shopping.
Whenever they would return he always came in with a little doggie bag from one of the local restaurants and it was just a charming sight to see him with the bag or one of those plastic foam containers marching through the hallway to the elevator. I say marching because he was nearly blind and refused help, even from his daughters. Serious business for this gent but really quite comical to those of us who were blessed with knowing him.
Being that it was hard for him to see he would pick his legs up high, like one marching; he did this in order not to trip over things that could be in the way. One day I saw him pass by my office door and said hello! “Hi Jess, I am going for a walk” “yes” I replied; “it is a nice day for a walk” so off he went. It was about ten minutes when the tenant under his apartment came an explained that water was dripping from the ceiling in her kitchen.
I ran upstairs and using my entry key opened the door. I was immediately hit in the face with black smoke and running water over my shoes. My poor gentleman tenant had placed two hot dogs on the stove for lunch and had used the faucet to put some water in the pot to boil the dogs. The Town Fire Department cleaned the smoke and the water from the apartment and my gentleman tenant was so broken up that he cried; “I forgot my lunch, oh! oh! I forgot my lunch” and in this I can hear his mournful wails.
Ever now and then I think of this event as I watch myself advance in age. Now I do not mind getting old and neither should you. God has placed a time and a season for everything under the sun and if we look at life from the burning heat of the day with all of its problems we will always be putting out fires and squeezing out the mop. It is serious business for the elderly to age and but when we work with them and not against them the process is peaceful, joyful and hopeful. Hey! Isn’t that what love is? Ecclesiastes 11:1-14 (mankind under the sun).
Some would say it is because his mom is living with him right now and maybe that is true, but maybe not. There is a certain experience of joy I feel when I am around the elderly and I have always felt this, even when I was young. Maybe it is that the elderly are like children. No threat!
No comments:
Post a Comment