Not Forgetting the Forgotten

In South Africa, one goes on holiday instead of vacation – I think I like the festive sound of holiday better. For the last three days Greg, his wife, Yvette, and his two children Kmotsoe and Katie and I went on the most beautiful holiday to Betties Bay. Betties bay is tucked behind a range of mountains and overlooks the Indian and Atlantic Oceans – no one really seems to know where they divide. Like most things in Africa I had no idea what I was getting into on this holiday.

What first struck me was how the house was built. I do not mean the brick and mortar but how it was paid for. 27 years ago the mother bought the beautiful property but has never had enough money as a social worker to think about building it. So, the three children decided to come together and evenly pay for the house to be built. It is built with great thought. The upstairs is designed for an elderly woman who’s not getting younger, while the downstairs is built for children and young adults. It is not a massively large house – just well though out – and there are provisions to expand the house as money is available.

What I most like about the home is the since of community it assumes. The children and grandchildren visit their mother and grandmother about once each month. It’s just wonderful – she has space to be dependent and time to be loved. What a wonderful alternative to locking the elderly up in a nursing home prematurely and what a beautiful example of caring for those who have cared for us. Surely a home that overlooks whales in the morning, crashing waves at the noon tide, and feeding birds at sunset is a better way to care for our elderly than a sterile, out-of-the-way old people's home. Of course this idea is not an option for everyone -- but many people -- there is an alternative - a much better solution. A family's creativity, thought, and compassion can turn the lonely years of old age into the lovely years of longevity.

Scripture repeatedly teaches us, especially in James and the pastoral epistles to care for widows, orphans, and the poor among us – we should take this charge more seriously. In each of our families we can better live out the gospel of not forgetting the forgotten.