Archive for March 25th, 2010

Posted on March 25, 2010 - by Nurse Virginia

VOLUNTEERING – 2010 EDITION OF THE CHURCH LADY ONLY LOOKS A LITTLE DIFFERENT

As I walked into my mother’s room on Sunday morning, I immediately recognized the smile I received from the woman visiting with Mom. “Hi Mom, I see you have company.” Mom turned, in her wheelchair, smiled and said “It’s the Church Lady.”

The consummate Church Lady
When I was growing up, I remember well one of my Mom’s best friends. I don’t remember her as being an especially good conversationalist, she wasn’t known for being clever, she needed help coordinating her clothes and decorating her home.

But for what she did, I remember her so well. Grace was so selfless, visiting all the sick in her church on a regular basis. There was a woman living down the street from Grace that had MS, she went to her home for years helping get the woman’s children off to school, and getting her up and dressed for the day. All this with no pay, just because of her spirit of volunteerism.

The Church Lady 2010
The Church Lady said, “I have been having such a nice visit with your Mom, we were just going to have our closing devotions.” I gave them some privacy and waited in the sitting area. The visit of the Church Lady caused me think about my Dad who was so devoted to his “shut-ins.”

Dad, and his relationship with his shut-ins, probably had a greater influence on us in our formative years, than we realized.  He probably had more than a little to do with my going into Geriatrics. My brother Marty followed in his footsteps becoming a Lutheran Minister and now has shut-ins of his own. Sister Ruth is developing a visiting reading program for elderly shut-ins, which she plans on doing in her retirement.

Time the great equalizer
The church lady doesn’t have anymore time than anyone else. Volunteers don’t have anymore time than anyone else. We are all given 24 hours a day. It all comes down to how you use those hours. My mother’s friend Grace wore silky dresses, nylons rolled right under her knees, a pill hat and gloves. Today’s Church Lady, wears a sweatshirt, jeans and running shoes.  But that is where the differences end. The smile is the same; her joy in Christ that she shares with Mom is the same.

Virginia Garberding, R.N.
Author: Please Get To Know Me – Aging with Dignity and Relevance
www.pleasegettoknowme.com