Still Serving

I met Ava in a sheltered housing complex. She embodied the vision of the psalmist who wrote that even in our old age, God will lead us to love. Ava had spent her working life as a seamstress. Even in her nineties, she could turn gifts of fabric into beautifully crafted blouses and skirts or trousers and shirts for the homeless.

When Ava’s hands got too stiff and her eyes too dim, she became discouraged. Then one day she noticed that the small packets of biscuits beside each place in the dining room often went uneaten. When she began to collect the packets, her friends noticed and began saving them for her. When she had filled a bag, she would call a church member to take it to the local food bank.

One day a resident asked Ava with exasperation: ‘Why do you care? You’re old now. It’s time to think about yourself!’ Ava just smiled and kept on collecting biscuits and passing them on. Hers was a practical, hands-on faith.

Ava is gone now, but she remains an example of faithful living. I won’t forget the lesson I learned from her—to look at what’s in front of me and find a way to help someone in need.

Prayer: Dear God, help us see your world and your people with eyes wide open. Grant us the courage to offer what we can when we see a need. Amen