A Gift That Keeps On Giving

At the end of every year as I reflect, I am taken back to one year which for me still is the best of them all. I was in Matric or what is now known as grade 12. One of my teachers challenged us to do something to make someone’s Christmas memorable. We chose to visit an old age home and serve them for a day. So we threw a Christmas party for the folks at the home.

You see the concept of old age home is not a narrative I grew up with but one I became exposed to the more I became exposed to life outside of Venda in Limpopo South Africa. Life then was gilled with us taking care of the aged especially once they are widowed. If they could not live on their own families took turns to care for them. They were provided with one home as a based with one of the couple’s children. Then they would visit the other children (especially married ones) often. This was done to afford the grand parents an opportunity to spend time and get to know their other grandchildren. I also got to understand that it was done to give relief to the children that lived with the parents on a full-time basis. This is a world I knew, understood and loved.

So when I walked in to the old age home to see these folks lumped together it was quite a shock and I had just assumed that they did not have children thus they were here. Unfortunately, I got to find out that most of them were estranged from their children. On mother now widowed said since the children brought her to the home they had not visited. And this was almost 2 years prior. Others said that in the beginning the visits were great, but they had lessoned over time as the children and grandchildren grew busy. A few of the sad stories were the parents did not get along with the child’s spouse it was best they were in a home. This scared me off of marriage for a while because I could not imagine having to choose between my parents and my husband. I in fact made a vow that this would be one non-negotiable for me to live with my parents and or his parents on our property and never send them to a home. I based this on the joy of interacting with my grand parents growing up. I could not imagine my children not having that bond with their grandparents.

Back to the party, some ladies just wanted a makeover we did that although I must confess that I could only paint their nails and brush their hair. I left make up to my other fellow students it has never been my thing. The gentlemen wanted to play board game or croquet outside we did that too. They day ended with a dance. The dance was the highlight for me because when I was younger, I had been a ball room dancer so I got to relieve my short career as a ball room dancer. Even I reflect now I can hear the laughter and words of gratitude from the folks. That memory has not left me it has stayed with me all th3ese 20+ years.

I had plan in my back pocket of building cottages on my property for my parents and my husband’s property, however the Lord had other plans. Both my parents passed before I was married. This is one of my dreams never to be realised. I guess when God gave me that opportunity He knew that I would not be able to do as I planned so he gave me a chance to make a mom and Dad feel loved appreciated and honoured in their senior years just like I saw my parents do to their parents. I joined a church later that had a program to visit an old age home once every week. I did not miss one visit if I could help it. This helped me heal from not having my parents around.

Love the ones you are with or purposed to be with. It is never too late to reach out and make someone else’s life worthwhile. It is the season and we can turn it into a life purpose if so called. How many aged people do you know who have no one to come to them this season. Lets make it a point of reaching out to them even if it is just a couple of hours. Let this be a family project and see how the young ones we are raising can step up and be loving and be generous to others.

Should you need support this season reach out to us rmoverflow@outlook.com or gigaldc@outlook.cm when you are ready to move to the next level and we can discuss the tailored Coaching and or training Package for you.

Coach Mulalo