Halloween at the Nursing Home

HALLOWEEN AT THE HOME

“Kids” all excited

Wait for the moment to come

When costumes are donned.

Beautiful “children”
On the other side of life

Grabbing for some fun.

A red haired witch,
A green haired one who snoozes,
And a bumble bee.


A geisha girl so fine
A hippie with curly hair
Wearing a peace sign.


Wheelchairs lining up
Pretending they’re what they were
Before the years flew.




One who walks in step
Sweet innocent butterfly
Simple as a child.


So off we all roll
Halloween march through the home
Who will win a prize?


Nurses clapping
Others in beds sleeping sound
Merrily we move.


Party is ready
Everyone smiling of mem’ries
Of days long ago.


At the nursing home
The children are bigger here
Taken care of now.


Looking over each
One wonders what they’re thinking
What they understand.


Why do they have to
Be here where they seem adrift
No wills of their own.


Sad comic relief
In their costumes as if young
Smile in confusion.


Why does God allow
Sad end for the elderly
Are they in His plan?


Before time began
He knew what their lives would be
How they would end up.


End up – a sad word
Too tragic for what is real
The glory that will come.


They’re waiting for Him
Hope they know He’ll come for them
When His time is right.

What Can Be Learned at a Nursing Home

On Halloween afternoon I went to the nursing home where my friend’s Mom is a resident. We walked into the front foyer, and there they all had gathered. They were sitting in their wheelchairs…all dressed in some sort of Halloween costume. Some had a look on their faces that said they did not have a clue. Some looked hopeful that something would happen soon. One lady sat there with her mouth open wide and her eyes closed in her green wig and witch’s hat.


My friend’s mom is young, but she is suffering from the results of a stroke. Jo’s mind is fine. It must be hard for her to be there trapped in a body that only has one side working. Still, our little Jo Bumble Bee looked happy to be a part of this Halloween. Her friend, Virginia, was there as well. Her challenges are not so obvious. She was able to walk during the Halloween parade around the corridors of the home and into the day room where activities were held. Virginia was a butterfly…or so she said. She had on a lavender robe with matching wings, a crown, and a wand. I believed her to be a princess, but what I believed did not count. She WAS a butterfly. She was as hopeful in her behavior as a young girl waiting for darkness to come so that she could go out to Trick or Treat.


I looked around and I learned something from that Halloween Celebration in the nursing home. These people were living their lives with as much dignity as their circumstances would allow them. There was beauty and sweetness all around. The costume march was something to look forward to and enjoy. It was not the Halloween they had when they were young, but it was what they had now, and they were happy to have it. This is what life is all about. Taking joy in the things that you can have, not worrying whether it is shadow of what you had been in the past. Imminent to all who grow old is the promise of glory to come. There we will be blessed with a life to which this present life does not hold a candle.

In Jeremiah 29:10-12 we find the words…

“This is what the LORD says: ‘When seventy years are completed for Babylon,

I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.

For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you

and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.’”

This is the final plan God has for us. We will not have to look back.


Corinne Mustafa
Written on 11/1/07

Ministry

MAGNOLIAS

I spent the week before my daughter's June wedding running last-minute trips to the Caterer, florist, tuxedo shop, and the church about forty miles away. As happy as I was that Patsy was marrying a good Christian young man, I felt laden with responsibilities As I watched my budget dwindle. ..

So many details, so many bills, and so little time. My son Jack was away at college, but he said he would be there to walk his younger sister down the aisle, taking the place of His dad who had died a few years before. He teased Patsy, saying he'd wanted to give Her away since she was about three years old!

To save money, I gathered blossoms from several friends who had large magnolia trees. Their luscious, creamy-white blooms and slick green eaves would make beautiful arrangements against the rich dark wood inside the church. After the rehearsal dinner The night before the wedding, we banked the podium area and choir loft with magnolias. As we left just before midnight, I felt tired but satisfied this would be the best wedding any bride had ever had! The music, the ceremony, the reception - and especially the Flowers - would be remembered for years.

The big day arrived - the busiest day of my life - and while her bridesmaids helped Patsy to dress, her fiance Tim walked with me to the sanctuary to do a final check. When we opened the door and felt a rush of hot air, I almost fainted; and then I saw them - all the Beautiful white flowers were black. Funeral black. An electrical storm during the night had knocked out the air conditioning system, and on that hot summer day, the flowers had wilted and died.

I panicked, knowing I didn't have time to drive back to our hometown, gather more flowers, and return in time for the wedding. Tim turned to me. 'Edna, can you get more Flowers? I'll throw away these dead ones and put fresh flowers in these arrangements.' I mumbled, 'Sure,' as he be-bopped down the hall toput on his cuff links.

Alone in the large sanctuary, I looked up at the dark wooden beams in the arched ceiling. 'Lord,' I prayed, 'please help me. I don't know anyone in this town. Help me find someone willing to give me flowers - in a hurry!' I scurried out praying for four things: the blessing of white magnolias, courage to find them in an unfamiliar yard, safety from any dog that may bite my leg, and a nice person who would not get out a shotgun when I asked to cut his tree to shreds.

As I left the church, I saw magnolia trees in the distance. I approached a house...No dog in sight.. knocked on the door and an older man answered. So far so good. No shotgun. When I stated my plea the man beamed, 'I'd be happy to!' He climbed a stepladder and cut large boughs and handed them down to me. Minutes later, as I lifted the last armload into my car trunk, I said, 'Sir, you've made the mother of a bride happy today.'

No, Ma'am,' he said. 'You don't understand what'shappening here.''What?' I asked. 'You see, my wife of sixty-seven years died on Monday. On Tuesday I received friends at the funeral home, and on Wednesday. .. . He paused. I saw tears welling up in his eyes. 'On Wednesday I buried her.' He looked away. 'On Thursday most of my out-of-town relatives went back home, and on Friday- yesterday - my children left.'

I nodded.

'This morning,' he continued, 'I was sitting in my den crying out loud. I miss her so much. For the last sixteen years, as her health got worse, she needed me. But now nobody needs me. This morning I cried, 'Who needs an eighty-six-year-old wore-out man? Nobody!' I began to cry louder. 'Nobody needs me!' About that time, you knocked, and said, 'Sir, I need you.'

I stood with my mouth open.

He asked, 'Are you an angel? The way the light shone around your head into my dark living room....'I assured him I was no angel.He smiled. 'Do you know what I was thinking when I handed you those magnolias?'

'No.'

'I decided I'm needed. My flowers are needed. Why, I might have a flower ministry! I could give them to everyone! Some caskets at the funeral home have no flowers. People need flowers at times like that and I have lots of them. They're all over the backyard! I can give them to hospitals, churches - all sorts of places. You know what I'm going to do? I'm going to serve the Lord until the day He calls me home!'

I drove back to the church, filled with wonder. On Patsy's wedding day, if anyone had asked me to encourage someone who was hurting, I would have said, 'Forget it! It's my only daughter's wedding, for goodness' sake! There is no way I can minister to anyone today.'

But God found a way. Through dead flowers.

'Life is not the way it's supposed to be. It's the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.'

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Look around. You never know when or where you will find the ministry that God has planned for you or for someone's life that He touches through you.

This is what happened to the dinosaurs!

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The Very First Senior Moment!!!

5 Finger Prayer

This is beautiful -- and it is surely worth making the 5-Finger Prayer a part of our lives. It is not a new one but surely one to help us direct our prayers. Enjoy!

1. Your thumb is nearest to you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis
once said, a "sweet duty."


2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom
in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.


3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape
our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.


4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to
many is the fact that this is our weakest finger; as any
piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for
those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need
your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much
for them.


5. And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger
of all, which is where we should place ourselves in relation
to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be
the greatest among you," Your pinkie should remind you
to pray for yourself.

By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively. Should you find it hard to get to sleep tonight, just remember the homeless family who has no bed to lie in.