It seemed like each and every time I went to see my mother in the nursing home, she was crying. As soon as she’d see me, she would plead, “Please, Patricia, get me out of here. Please take me back home.” Then she would turn her face to the wall.
It broke my heart to leave Mom in a place that made her so unhappy. If only there was another solution! But Mom had broken her hip in a fall.
She spent time in a rehabilitation facility, yet still needed the kind of comprehensive medical care only a nursing home could give.
But I also knew that Mom needed more than medical care. She needed to know that she wasn’t alone or abandoned. Mom was 91 years old. Most of her friends were gone. I was her only visitor.
Most of the other patients at the nursing home weren’t well enough to lift her spirits. Her roommate just lay in bed and moaned. It was depressing. I didn’t blame Mom for being so upset.
Lord, I prayed as I drove to the nursing home to see her one day, please grant me the grace to help her.
When I got to Mom’s room, I saw that she had gotten a new roommate. The whole place seemed instantly brighter, happier. I quickly introduced myself.
The woman was alert and friendly. As it turned out she was a member of my church, though I had never seen her there.
“Pleased to meet you,” she said, holding out her hand. “My name’s Grace.”
Grace? I thought. It seemed that God had a sense of humor!
So did Grace. She had Mom and me laughing in no time. I soon discovered that she also had a lot of visitors, her children and their families and even members of my own church.
Now when I went to visit Mom, I usually found her room overflowing with candy, treats, laughter and lots of new friends.
Download your FREE ebook, A Prayer for Every Need, by Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
