Busman's Holiday

After an early trip to return an in-patient friend to a local hospital (after a week-end of freedom)I set off on a one and a half day's 'break' to visit my mother aged 82. The primary goal was to take her to the dentist and have impressions made for a new set of dentures. This accomplished, we returned to her flat via Tesco, (shopping and coffee) for my next challenge of the day. This was to dust the living room.
Using the vacuum cleaner to take off the worst, I set to. Vacuum, wipe, polish and wash the ornaments. Go through manifold heaps of envelopes and papers.Accumulate six bags of paper to recycle! Decide to redisplay newer photographs and put old ones in an album. This was a work in process over several hours in the afternoon and evening. Washed my very grubby hands several times - didn't like to hazard a guess as to how long since the last 'dust' was attempted.
Make a very important decision. Do not accumulate circular letters, catalogues or the like, saying you will deal with it later! You won't and then your relatives have to be ruthless for you. So now I must throw away lots more of my own paper at home.
Down with circulars!
I'm sure I always tick the box to say I don't want any news of further offers etc. I also keep sending unopened catalogues back with a 'Return to Sender' direction. A major irritation of buying by post is getting one's name and address on some list somewheres.
Slept like a log at my Mother's on Monday night and then, after more dusting on Tuesday morning we managed to drive her back to Camberwell in time to have her hair done. Relinquished my charge into the capable hands of youngest sister who was now responsible for getting Mother home later.
And then I went to work... meeting up with a social worker, a nonagenarian wife with an 89 year old,ill husband and tried to ensure that they get the best possible help at home before his hospital discharge.
The lovely thing was that a nurse on this hospital ward recognised me as 'going to that church at the Elephant & Castle' not because she'd been there, but because she had seen me taking care of various elderly friends and was impressed not only with that but the fact that the 89 year old gentleman who she had been working with that day, always gives thanks to God for his meals. What a lovely testimony - still evergreen at 89 - in failing health and the indignities of old age yet bright for Jesus still. There are some wonderful trophies of grace amongst the elderly.