Scripture: While the soldiers were looking after themselves, Jesus’ mother, his aunt, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene stood at the foot of the cross. Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her. He said to his mother, “Woman, here is your some.” Then to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that moment the disciple accepted her as his own mother. John 19:25b-27 (The Message, The Bible in Contemporary Language by Eugene Peterson)
Behold Your Mother
It is not much the mailman brings
to wrinkled women isolated
in unfamiliar cubicles
they are asked to call home.
It is not much the women see
within a day’s expanse…
a nurse or two, smiling or brusque.
It’s not their mother
or their daughter
or anybody they ever saw
before they saw this building
that they never saw before
they came to live here.
It is not much they’ve come to expect,
these women born with hope in their veins
and feet that learned to dance.
They sit now, staring at nothing in particular,
no longer even vaguely thinking
that the footsteps in the hall
will stop at their door.
Lord, are we our mothers’ keepers?
Ann Weems, Kneeling in Jerusalem
Family Activity
Organize your children’s Sunday School class or neighborhood group to visit an assisted living facility and play Bingo with residents. Be sure to contact the facility and arrange for your visit with the director before the adventure. If you have family or relatives in this style of location, plan a visit and take along old photos to share with them. This is a great discussion starter, and a wonderful way to learn family stories and history.
