Time with Mum

Bible Reading: Psalm 71:15-18
Author: Nancy Shelton (Missouri, US)
Friday 29 March 2024 © The Upper Room.

What can we do today? I thought as I arrived at the nursing home. Mum could no longer concentrate on television programmes or find hidden words in word-search puzzles. Her confusion made conversation difficult.

I looked at her snoring softly in the armchair, next to the table. Her brown, worn Bible sat there with some of her other personal possessions. I had not read a Bible in months but opened it to the book of Psalms and began to read aloud. When I glanced back at my mother, she opened her eyes and smiled at me. ‘Thank you,’ she whispered.

The following morning, I once again found the Bible and I read to her, this time from the New Testament. Reading her Bible aloud became a daily routine until she passed away at the age of 97.

My mother’s simple gratitude encouraged me to continue reading to her, which led me back to a faith I had lost. And I was reminded that God is with me all the time. Now, I see my mother’s face in my mind each morning when I pick up my own Bible.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for older people. Help us take time to listen and learn from them. May we find ways to be a source of comfort to them in their later years. Amen

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