Sunday Thoughts

Sunday morning as I was getting the room ready for Relief Society an elderly woman carrying portable oxygen, her purse, and scripture bag showed up at the door trying to find the ward where she should attend. She had difficulty managing the stairs in our not-so-modern and disability unfriendly building, but she had diligently arrived in spite of obvious hardship. When I asked where she lived it was clear she was in the wrong place and it broke my heart to redirect her when it would not be easy - I wanted to just keep her! But she was determined to find the right ward so we researched the address and found she had traveled too far east. She then started to cry as though everything had just become too much for her. I hugged her and she assured me she was fine but that it's been a difficult six months. Her husband of many years had been diagnosed with terminal cancer six months previously - then he passed away six weeks ago. She had since moved from her home (perhaps because of hardships?) so was now trying to find her way in a new place and she was now facing knee surgery because they too had failed her.

How easy it would be for her to sit home, feel sorry for herself and not make the effort to go to Church. She could even blame her circumstances or other people around her for not caring or helping in ways she needed. She could blame God for taking her husband and leaving her alone. She could certainly not be blamed for being bitter, sad, depressed and out of her comfort zone - even for sitting at home and like so many others saying, "it's too hard to attend my meetings." Yet, here she was faithfully enduring her hardships and trials, continuing to even carry scriptures (not an easy task, but evidence of her ongoing desire to learn and grow) and she looked like an angel to me. I felt truly in God's presence at that moment and I felt a witness that He can be any place at any time.