Miss Mavis

Mavis is one of the elderly residents in the back of the ward. She came not that long ago in between my visits. I'm not sure exactly what her condition is. She cannot move anything but her head. She is diabetic, so must completely depend upon the Aids to get her a snack if she feels her blood sugar dropping, which is a scary thing for her. I sat and fed her dinner one night and got to know her a little. She's a very sweet woman, very sad, and frightened to be at the Infirmary....with good reason, being unable to move and at the mercy of everyone. She cries as she tells me her children didn't want her anymore. (a common story I hear among the residents) We pray for her children, that God will soften their hearts, and change them. She doesn't seem to care if they come get her as much as she just wants to see them before she dies. It's hard to leave her each day. Her needs are so great, and her abandonment so complete. She feels abandoned by God too, and I think, that's why I'm there. To remind her He has not forgotten her. It's useless to even try and figure out what the meaning is in all this suffering. But I know He is good. So He doesn't do "bad" things. And this is overcoming faith...that in the midst of our suffering, we trust, because He is good. He is trustworthy. And He's there..in that bed with Miss Mavis. How His heart must break also as we wait for the answer to our prayers. That her children will come see her and tell her they love her, just one more time.
Mavis is one that they pick up and carry to the beach with the others. I find her later, lying in the surf, leaning up against someone who is supporting her. I ask her how she feels, how the water feels, and she smiles so big and says, "wonderful!!!" Once home and back in bed, she says she did not know there were such wonderful people in the world, and wondered why they cared about her. Oh Jesus...shine through us. Let her see you. Your wonderful! You care!
I pray with her, before I go and kiss her, both of us crying, not wanting to leave because I don't know if this is the last time I'll see her, and she says also, "I don't know if I'll be here when you get back." I can hardly stand it that it's going to be another year before I can go down. Lord send your people. And tell Miss Mavis I love her.