Irene

I looked up the name Irene today, and I found that it means peace. What a fitting name for a dear friend! I have known Irene since 1980 and have almost always found her to be true to her name.

I picked her up today for a Bible study at church, and on the way she commented that there's no peace in the world. Now that's not exactly true. Of course, there is no world peace, but Irene is a wonderful testimony that believers can indeed have peace in their hearts.

Irene lives in an "adult care facility." I would call it a nursing home, but I don't think they provide actual medical care. I imagine that most of the residents are there because they are declining both mentally and physically. Different times when I have visited Irene, I've noticed that many if not most of the people there seem very much out of it mentally. Some doze in wheel chairs. Several times I have seen the same lady sound asleep with her head on the kitchen table. Another one always greets me with great enthusiasm as if she's known me for a long, long time when in fact I've never actually met her. I've often thought how hard it must be for Irene to keep her mind sharp when so many around her provide no mental stimulus at all. And yet she remains remarkably alert. What a blessing!

Irene mentioned another thing today that caused me some thinking. She remarked that as we age, families seem to drift apart. We talked about this, and my theory is that as the generations go by, families naturally grow in number, and our roles change. For example, my mother was once just mother to four children. Three of us married so that makes 7. Then she became Grandma to 10 children making 17 offspring. Nine of those 10 each now have a spouse so that is 19 plus 17. If I'm counting correctly, those 9 couples have now produced 20 children. That means that Mom is now matriarch to a family of 56 people! It's just not practical for us to go to her home for Thanksgiving!

But do you see what happens to the elderly? They become gradually isolated from the hubbub of family life, and I'm sure they feel lonely. I find that Irene has a way of seeing life clearly and honestly, and she can accept reality. At the same time she remains remarkably cheerful! This is a wonderful blessing from God and one that is not promised to any of us. But I just have to rejoice in God's blessing to Irene and to me for having her as my friend.