12We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
13But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
The Message / Eugene Peterson / 1 Corinthians 13
Squinting in a fog. I grew up hearing it “peering through a glass, darkly.”
After a Friday night wedding the Dr. and I had attended a few weeks ago, I decided to light the candles that reside in the fireplace during the warmer months and just sit quietly for a bit before pretending to sleep. At the back of the grouping is a mirror and when I grabbed my camera just for fun, I toyed with capturing some reflections in that dark glass.
Those words quoted above are at the end of one of the most used portions of the Bible spoken at wedding ceremonies and this June and July between the Mrs.’ social calendar and ours – I’ve heard it in a couple of different recitations. We all know those words so well that even the most casual knowledge of the sacred texts would be able to do a fair job quoting it. The whole, “Love is this, love is that, love isn’t this and love isn’t that…,” is what everyone knows. But the words that come a little further down the page have caught my attention. “We don’t see things clearly yet…”
Seated with the Mrs. at a banquet table last month, I must have explained a half a dozen times that the little fork nestled at the top of the dinner plate would be used for our cake later that evening. With each time she asked the same question in a little different way, I felt the others around the circle squirming in their seats. I know there are those who wonder if I am aware of how she seems to be “slipping”. Oh, I’m aware that you are NOT aware of the following:
- More than 5 million Americans live with Alzheimer’s disease today.
- Alzheimer’s Disease is the 7th leading cause of death in the U.S. and the 5th leading cause for those 55 and older.
- One out of every eight people 65 and older has the disease. And for those over the age of 85, this number jumps to almost one out of every two.
- One fourth of all home care involves care for an Alzheimer’s patient.
- Those with Alzheimer’s Disease are three times more likely to face hospitalization and eight times more likely to need skilled nursing care.
- 75% of care is provided by family caregivers.
- When baby boomers reach 65 in 2011, these numbers will skyrocket and an epidemic will be upon us.
That’s right…seated at our table of 8, the majority of whom were my age, more than one of us will be in the same boat in the blink of an eye.
Squinting in a fog…is she squinting or am I? I feel like we need to get a bit of a grip on some of the basics so that we can teach our children how we want to be treated. Many of us in this present boat are just beginning to enjoy the new role of grandparenting. Seeing the world through new eyes can be so entertaining – so delightful – and so tiring all at once.
I find infinite stores of patience to wrap my hands around Donny Diva’s as he’s learning to stack blocks, or grasp a spoon, but do I sigh too much when I have to bend over to help her tie her shoes or open that pesky little milk carton so she can have her lunch? He’s not talking yet – but before I turn around twice we’ll be having conversations about any number of things. People aren’t generally reserved when talking to pre-schoolers and usually just let the conversation flow where it might. But I see how easily the elderly, especially those who are known to have “issues” with their memories, get sidelined from social conversations.
Why can’t that same rule apply? Just go with the flow. If she wants to talk about the same thing over and over again – she really doesn’t mind because she’s not remembering it. If time-machine memory takes her back to her own wedding – let her go there. If she mixes up the names of the father of the groom with the grandfather of the groom with the groom, just patiently retrace the family tree for her. It’s just conversation people, it’s not brain surgery.
In the end – we are all squinting in the fog…thinking we have a handle on life, we have it figured out, we have our course laid out before us and we just have to get down to the business of putting our noses to the grind stone. Reality is – that we are all squinting to see our own reflections in that dark glass. To God, Alzheimer’s or not, none of us has a clue as to what we’re talking about. We do not know what our futures hold. So while I’m here trying to navigate the pea soup (that’s what Billy used to call fog), I’m going to just do what that sacred text suggests: while I’m waiting for the completeness, I’m going to trust steadily, hope unswervingly and love extravagantly…even if it means going to more weddings.
Oh, and here’s a great article to help with your next social gathering…and you might want to put a copy on your fridge for your kids to see before you forget!
1eyedmonkee 