Erika

There is a dear little elderly lady who has many times blessed us with her hands of help. Time goes on, she has grown older. She must be at least 87 years old. About a year ago she moved into a nursing home. At that time she had had a stroke and her speach was a bit hard to understand.

We had not seen her in a long while. I kept telling Janis he needed to go see her. She used to come and  help him before we ever married, she watched out for him. Sunday he paid her a visit.

Since spring she has aged a lot. She has had another stroke and now she can only make mumbling sounds. She can write what she wants to say, that is her only way of communicating.

She was to be moved closer to her grand-daughter yesterday, so Janis promised that we would visit her as a family before she moved away. We went yesterday evening to see her. I was shocked how much she has aged. She was always SO active. She has never liked sitting still and was always helping someone. She never seemed her age. But now she cannot even talk. I was struck with how when someone can only grunt or make sounds it gives us the impression that that person is stupid or confused.

Boy, was I wrong! Erika counts herself part of matching Janis and I. And she remembers very well the gossip that I used to want 10 kids. As we were chatting yesterday (by her writing us notes) she asked us when we were going to have our next baby. We just said we aren't expecting one. Then she wrote, "You'd better get going if  you are going to have those 11 kids! " We laughed, tickled by her remembering and her joking.

She enjoyed Daniel and even tickled him a little. It was special to have her see our little ones once more, she had never even seen Amelija yet.

Yet I feel sad knowing that this side of heaven it is very unlikely I will ever see her again. It is sad to see someone who was once so active brought still. She can't read because her eyes blur, nor can she knit because her hands are stiff. I was thinking to myself how now the only thing she can do is pray.

Just before we were to go we offered to pray for her. She wrote a note to Janis telling him to be sure and tell her next time we were going to have a baby, and she would be praying for me and the baby and for our children. I was so touched. So often we take for granted the gift and power of prayer. But what happens when it is the only thing left we can do in life, when God alone is the only one who can understand our disobedient tongue!

Thank God for Erika and the part she has played in our lives.